Monday, January 21, 2008
Civil Rights Collection to Debut via Webcast for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Collection unveiled at Penn State University contains speeches by civil rights leader
MADISON, WI — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s inspiring words could reach the entire world today with the help of Sonic Foundry® Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), a leader in automated rich media communications technology. Penn State University will webcast and archive the debut presentation of a late professor’s civil rights collection using Mediasite, Sonic Foundry’s premiere webcasting platform, in celebration of the 23rd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
The collection contains video of Martin Luther King, Jr. speeches, including one in Bessemer, Ala. during the Poor People’s Campaign in March 1968, just a few weeks before he was assassinated, an excerpt of which will be shown during today’s webcast.
“We have a number of strong civil rights collections that we routinely exhibit on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,” said Barry Kernfeld, Penn State University library archivist. “With this collection being completed, it was a no-brainer to use it as a centerpiece this year.” Kernfeld, who has been working with the collection for nearly three years, will give the Mediasite presentation today.
The late Jack Rabin assembled the collection during the 1970s when he was teaching in Montgomery, Ala. According to Kernfeld, many staff members from the Penn State Harrisburg campus, where Rabin later taught, will access the webcast today. “They would like to participate in the public unveiling of the collection,” he said. “Because Penn State has more than 20 campuses, webcasting the presentation is a great opportunity.”
Shirley Davis, Assistant to the Dean for External Relations at Penn State, noted that archiving the event on the school website for on-demand access ensures as many people as possible will have a chance to view it. Davis expects a large, mixed audience for the webcast, including general public, high school students and the university community. “It’s going to be an excellent presentation. The collection is really moving, and we’re excited,” she said.
“I find it particularly poignant that Mediasite has become integral to campus outreach activities like this one at Penn State University,” said Rimas Buinevicius, chairman and CEO of Sonic Foundry. “It’s exciting to see Mediasite lead the growing trend of reaching a worldwide audience regardless of geographical barriers.”
To view the webcast, visit
www.sonicfoundry.com/pennstate/king. “Lifting the Veil: The Jack Rabin Collection of Alabama Civil Rights and Southern Activists” begins at 10:00 a.m. EST.
For more information about the collection, visit
www.libraries.psu.edu/speccolls/FindingAids/rabin.frame.html
To view more Martin Luther King Jr. university Mediasite presentations, visit:
“Keeping the Dream Alive” from Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
www.sonicfoundry.com/neoucom/king
“Martin Luther King: Legacy and Corporate America” from University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business
www.sonicfoundry.com/uark/king
“A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” from Northwest State Community College
www.sonicfoundry.com/nwscc/king