From Radio Reel to Digital Appeal: Preserving Micrologus with the AAPB

This month, we had the privilege of speaking with Jacey Kepich, Research and Engagement Librarian at Case Western Reserve University, who played a pivotal role in the preservation journey of the Micrologus radio program with the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.

Micrologus, a nationally syndicated program by National Public Radio from 1980 to 1998, holds a significant place in broadcasting history. Produced at Case Western Reserve University by Dr. Ross Duffin, then Assistant Professor of Music and now Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, the program introduced audiences to the world of early music through a unique blend of insightful commentary and music samples.

Thanks to the diligent work of the Kelvin Smith Library in 2009, the program was digitized, laying the groundwork for its preservation. Fast forward to 2022, and the Micrologus collection found a new home in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, ensuring its accessibility for future generations.

Today, over 100 episodes of Micrologus from 1981 to 1985 are available to stream online for free in the Micrologus with Ross W. Duffin Collection.

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When I arrived at Case Western Reserve University in 2017, waiting for me in the music librarian’s office were several boxes of disintegrating reel tapes “no one knew what to do with.” Thus began my introduction to Micrologus: Exploring the World of Early Music and a six-year journey toward AAPB. As I discovered, not only did the reel tapes deserve a better home, but their digitized content needed preservation too. Several years earlier my predecessor had secured a digitization grant, and although the finished mp3 files were sitting in Google Drive, he had died unexpectedly before finishing the project. Yet in the wake of this loss, his efforts paved the way to continue, as noted on the Micrologus collection home page.

Photo credit: Halle Novotney

Micrologus was launched in the 1980s by host and producer Dr. Ross Duffin, then Assistant Professor of Music at Case Western Reserve University and now Distinguished University Professor Emeritus. Beginning on WCLV in Cleveland, Ohio, and reaching 140 National Public Radio stations around the country at its peak, the show introduced listeners to the musical legacies of medieval and early modern Europe—with programs such as “The Viola da Gamba,” “Music of Monteverdi’s Venice,” and “The Roots of the Motet.” Each program featured Duffin’s commentary on the best available recordings of the repertoire, along with interviews with leading specialists. Dr. Duffin selected its name from a Greek-derived Latin term meaning “a little bit of knowledge,” ideally suited for a radio show that featured brief musical introductions to past traditions. And although centered on the past, as he observed to me, its topics covered were also forward-looking, from disability studies (“Blind Praises“), to women’s history (“Dinner Guests“), and migration (“Echoes from the Diaspora“).

In 2007, about ten years after syndication ended, CWRU’s Kelvin Smith Library funded the digitization of Micrologus to preserve and share archival-quality sound files. Identifying an appropriate storage method, however, was delayed not only due to personnel turnover but also because of unresolved questions regarding access and copyright. Because the programs included excerpts from commercial recordings, they could not be hosted in our institutional repository. How, then, could we preserve the files and make them available to a wider audience? Thanks to the suggestion of our Scholarly Communications Officer – who had previously worked with WGBH Boston – AAPB came to the rescue. Although the file transfer was delayed by additional workflow disruptions and staff departures (taking place, as it did, during the COVID era!), program transcripts and mp3 audio files became accessible via AAPB’s Online Reading Room in Spring 2023.

Whether listening for the first time or rediscovering favorite episodes, visitors will encounter a variety of programs whose musicological expertise makes the landscape of early music accessible to lay listeners. As one delighted colleague shared, “Just hearing the theme music you used during the presentation brought back many nice memories.” It’s gratifying not only to have helped in its digital preservation but also to make Micrologus discoverable to a wider audience through AAPB’s site, which sees over 340,000 visitors each year.

And those boxes of reel tapes? Though no longer playable, they now safely reside with our University Archives as the “version of record” for Micrologus, a program whose creative insights can be enjoyed by generations to come.

Acknowledgment: My thanks to Mark Clemente, who served as KSL’s Scholarly Communications Officer from 2017 – 2020 and helped initiate our conversations with AAPB in 2019. Likewise, I’m grateful to Dr. Ross Duffin, who patiently answered my questions as I researched the show’s history and kept in correspondence as we navigated its transfer to AAPB.