BGSU Sound Archives pioneer receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Bill Schurk ‘66, former sound recording archivist, received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Ray Browne Conference on Class and Culture. The Ray Browne Association (RBA) presented the honor on November 2, recognizing Schurk's exceptional 50-year career at BGSU.

During his time at the former Music Library and Sound Recordings Archives, Schurk managed and developed BGSU's audio collections. His expertise in collection curation and donor relations significantly expanded the university's audio holdings.

Beyond his professional contributions, Schurk demonstrated remarkable generosity through substantial in-kind and monetary donations to enhance the archives' scope. In December 2016, upon his retirement, BGSU honored his legacy by renaming the collection the Bill Schurk Sound Archives.

This recognition celebrates how Schurk's dedication helped build the Music Library & Bill Schurk Sound Archives into the largest collection of popular music in an academic library in North America. His commitment to preserving musical history has created a valuable resource for the university community. Congratulations to Bill Schurk on this well-deserved honor.