First Person: TAVP's Scott Hollis from UT's iSchool

TAVP Intern Scott Hollis at home at a radio station

Scott Hollis is a Master's degree student in the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin. He is working on his Capstone with TAVP this summer, helping us to upgrade our workflow and archiving systems and also producing podcasts. We asked Scott to answer a few questions as part of our First Person series, where we introduce the people behind the archive. 

First Person: TAVP's Scott Hollis from UT's iSchool

TAVP: So, you are currently a graduate student at the University of Texas' iSchool. What did you study as an undergrad and what are your studying now?

Scott:  I have a BA in Radio/TV/Film from the University of South Carolina, and an MA in the same field from Syracuse University. I've always had a big interest in music, which influenced my decision to pursue degrees in this field. While in college, hosting a radio program on the campus sation along with an internship with South Carolina public radio led to an interest in radio broadcasting and production. I followed this muse after graduating from SU by accepting a job at public radio station WSKG in Binghamton, NY, where I was employed for 16 years, hosting a jazz show and eventually being involved in nearly every aspect of daily radio operations. I am currently nearing completion of my MS in Information Studies, with a particular interest in archives

TAVP: What excites you about audio and archives?

Scott: Audio is such a great medium for music, journalism and storytelling. I think there is so much important, historic audio out there just waiting to be discovered, and also in danger of being lost before it can be identified. During my time as a student at UT, I've learned about the limited resources and/or knowledge that both creators of audio records and the repositories to which they have been entrusted have had to struggle with through the years. 

I think it is vitally important that this material be saved and properly preserved. In addition, all the great music, oral histories, and audio productions that are currently being produced need to be properly archived as well, so that the culture, art and history of contemporary life can live on for the enjoyment and enlightenment of future generations. 

TAVP: What brings you to TAVP?

Scott: I first heard of TAVP through the iSchool. As someone with an interest in audio and archives, an oral history project rooted in an important and compelling topic piqued my interest, and when I needed an idea for my capstone project, TAVP seemed a natural avenue to pursue. So now here I am. 

TAVP: What are your plans for after graduation

Scott: Plans are currently up in the air. As an iSchool student, I've investigated a number of areas, and I'm open to professional work in a variety of fields. Working with audio in an archival setting would be terrific, but archival work with other materials, library work, radio, or audio production are all fields I'm considering. Perhaps there is a position that combines aspects of several of these? At any rate, I remain broad-minded and will be pursuing employment opportunities wherever they may arise. 

Anyone care to make me an offer?  :-)