Via D.C. Public Library/ DC Punk Archive, Washingtoniana.

Because there aren’t enough people archiving the history of the local punk scene, the D.C. Public Library announced they’ve established the D.C. Punk Archive, a part of the Special Collections/Washingtoniana collection documenting D.C. music.

The archive aims to collect “materials in various formats” that relates to the local punk scene between 1977 and present day. Right now, the Library says they’re seeking donations, which can include “photographs. published materials (books, zines, articles), recordings (vinyl records, tapes, CDs, videos, live recordings, oral histories, film footage), and ephemera (fliers, posters, set lists, and more). The Library also says that the content doesn’t need to be related to just the music, but “could include anything pertinent to the cultural context, such as houses, venues, festivals, record shops, radio stations, tours.”

The Library says they’re also planing to digitize everything to “allow greater access while minimizing handling of original materials,” which will be archived and kept secure for future generations to gawk over. Currently, they’re looking for community volunteers, to help with the processing and digitization of donated materials.

Using funding from a grant, The Library plans to create an “interactive online music portal,” which they expect to roll out in the spring and summer of 2015. Though they’re focused on archiving the D.C. punk scene—and related music—the Library says they’ll “eventually expand to include other genres and time periods.”

You can read more about it here.