AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS, 1971-2008 and undated
Dates
- 1971-2008 and undated
Scope and Contents
Summary: Audiovisual materials consist of both audio and video recordings created either before or during FRL's time in the Senate. Digitized access and preservation copies have been created through a third-party vendor for selected items due to their fragility and lack of playback equipment available at Rutgers.
Video materials consist of campaign commercials, copies of television appearances, and recordings of floor statements among other related material. There is a mix of both original copies—from production companies and television stations—as well as video clips recorded from the TV. The bulk of the material features FRL, but recordings of his colleagues in Washington as well as clips on the Senator's legislative priorities are included. Video recordings are mostly housed on video cassettes, primarily VHS, U-Matic, and Beta, though some are housed on 1" and 2" reels and DVDs. Format of each recording has been noted preceeding the title. Though some material has been digitized due to preservation concerns, the bulk of these materials have not been. For online streaming access of some clips, it is recommended that researchers first look at the Vanderbilt Television News Archive (tvnews.vanderbilt.edu) as some material from the Lautenberg Papers may already be available there.
The bulk of the audio recordings are from FRL's time in the Senate, but items from before 1982 included are from personal audio recordings featuring dictated letters, interviews, and speeches. Audio that his office produced includes New Jersey First radio announcements, including React line, as well as Washington Dialogue, and radio commercials. Among the live tapings in this series are commencement speeches, event speeches, radio interviews and Senate hearings. Audio recordings are mostly housed on cassettes, primarily standard cassette, mini cassette, and micro cassette, though some are housed on CDs and other formats. Format of each recording has been noted preceeding the title.
Both the audio and video recordings feature over 1,000 hours of material. Due to the volume, quality, and lack of labeling, not all items have been identified. Those that are, have been labeled in the folder list. For access to these materials, please contact Rutgers University Special Collections staff.
Extent
57 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
Bulk in English, with some items in Hebrew, Russian, and other languages
Conditions Governing Access
Restrictions: Digitized access copies have been made for items determined to have high research value and limited or no copyright concerns. Researchers should contact SpecialCollections and University Archives to discuss possibilities for accessing digitized items.
Non-digitized materials can be viewed in-house, depending on the availability of playback equipment at Rutgers, and researchers should contact Special Collections and University Archives to determine the possibility of consulting these items.
Arrangement
Arrangement: Materials are arranged by format—Beta tapes, U-Matic, etc.—in the order in which they were found. Additionally, the office had pre-arranged the boxes' contents before their transfer to Rutgers and, whenever possible, the original order of these materials was kept intact.
Description was taken from the caption on the item in instances where one was provided. A few items were mislabeled by the office, and those instances have been noted and corrected where possible.
General
Appraisal and Discard Information: All video and audio recordings created in relation to the office were retained. VHS and similar formats with no content recorded on them were not retained and commercially produced items that were either unwatched (packaging never opened) or not connected with the office in any way were also not retained.
Part of the New Brunswick Special Collections Repository