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SANTA CRUZ -- The Grateful Dead Archive has taken another step in its long strange trip, from the UC Santa Cruz library to its own Web site, The Virtual Terrapin Station.
One of the most popular bands in rock 'n' roll history will have its legacy including photos, show tickets, toys, posters and recordings preserved online thanks to a federal grant. The Grateful Dead Archive, housed at the McHenry Library, has been awarded $615,175 by the Institute of Museum and Library Services to photograph and scan collection images and upload them. The public will be able to access the online collection and offer fans the opportunity to contribute to the collection by digitally submitting photos.
Christine Bunting, head of special collections and archives at McHenry, said the school will use the grant over 2½ years to archive what she said is the world's largest public collection of Dead memorabilia.
"The ultimate goal of making the archive digital is that everyone will have a Grateful Dead experience," Bunting said.
Allowing the public to contribute was inspired by the band's spirit of openness, according to Bunting.
"The idea for the Web site came from the sharing of Grateful Dead music and keeping up with their tradition," Bunting said.
The extensive collection consumes nearly 600 feet and includes thousands of pictures, documents and pieces of memorabilia, Bunting said. Archived materials like band member journals show the band's creativity and influence in contemporary music history. The archives also contain paraphernalia related to the band's extensive social network of devoted fans and the group's highly unusual and successful business ventures. Two-thirds of all the Dead material held by the school were donated by surviving band members in 2008, according to Bunting. The rest comes from Deadheads.
UCSC was one of 51 institutions nationwide that received National Leadership Grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services this year totaling nearly $18 million, according to the organization's Web site.
"This is a first for the UCSC library, and the grant gives us the opportunity to create a new model for Web-based archives that will include traditional materials from our Grateful Dead Archive," said Librarian Virginia Steel. "Along with materials contributed by scholars and Deadheads around the world."