Meet Selena Chau - KBOO's Digital Stewardship Resident!

      Hi Selena, welcome to KBOO!   Tell us about yourself - Anything you want to share about what you like, what you avoid,    what you do with your time?

Hello KBOO listeners! I arrived in Portland, OR from Orange County, CA but I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, NYC, Las Vegas, Champaign, IL, San Diego, Santa Fe, NM, and Mexico City. I'm a road cyclist and like to ride 150 miles a week, although the rain and cold will be a new challenge to my goal. I retired from dancing before returning to graduate school to receive my MLIS but I still enjoy dance, yoga, and fitness. It's great that the NW Dance Project studios are just a few blocks from KBOO! I avoid eating meat and fish (successful), and getting too much screen time (not so successful). I like dark chocolate and avocados (ABC pudding: Avocado-Banana-Cocoa powder is a delicious vegan treat).
 

    What is this really cool program you are involved in this year?

I am one of seven residents to serve out ten-month residencies administered by the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) to support digital audiovisual preservation in the realm of public media. The National Digital Stewardship Residency (NDSR) is a grant-funded, competitive program for both host sites and residents. Public broadcasting audio and video archival content are high-risk assets that represent unique voices of and perspectives on our American heritage. History is known by the records we keep; diverse viewpoints are fundamental to a more complete understanding of our history. Digitization and preservation allow long-term care and access of archival materials for research and learning. We residents draw upon best practices in library and archives metadata and information management, specific knowledge of analog and digital audiovisual formats, and project management skills to aid our host sites in their digital preservation goals.
 

    What will you be working on at KBOO?

KBOO holds nearly 50 years of historic audio assets. At KBOO, I will aid in the design and development of a process for the digitization, preservation, and cataloging of 7,500 historic KBOO programs dating from the late 1960s. In the initial phase, I will focus on the public affairs and news programming. Types of audio at KBOO include 5, 7, 10″ open reel, CDs, cassettes, DATs, minidiscs, LP, and born digital audio files. KBOO would like to have an online, integrated search of current radio programs and digitized archival audio materials. Additionally, providing a system to document the condition and digitization history of original assets would allow greater preservation management of archival audio.
 

    What do you think of Portland so far - what has been one of you favorite things you've done?

I'm glad it's summer and that there are so many fun things to do and explore! I've checked out Multnomah Falls, the rose garden and Japanese garden, Pittock Mansion, Sauvie, St. Helens, and Mt. Tabor. One of my favorite things was my first Oregon ride: Portland to Larch Mountain and back. It was a clear day so I enjoyed views of the nearby Cascade Range volcanoes Mount Hood, Mount Adams, Mount Jefferson, Mount Rainier, and Mount St. Helens. I've really been enjoying getting to know all the volunteers, staff, and board members at KBOO as well.
 

    Anything else you'd like folks to know?

You can learn more about my project and the other NDSR projects on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting blog or by following #ndsr on Twitter! And, my cousin has an awesome food cart Mama Chow's Kitchen that serves up delicious lunch food at SW 2nd and Stark. I'm so proud of him for living his dream.