On Tuesday, Nov. 18, Swarthmore Libraries partnered with Philadelphia-based arts organization Consonant Collective for Vinylfest, an open mic and record-cutting event. Vinylfest, along with the McCabe Library Atrium exhibit, ‘Record Art: Music and Design on Vinyl,’ showcased the library’s extensive collection of vinyl records. 

Students gathered for Vinylfest in McCabe Library’s LibLab event space. The visitors from Consonant Collective began by introducing their organization’s work: the collective supports a record label and micro-press in Philadelphia, as well as leading arts events and workshops in and around the city. McCabe Library’s Roberto Vargas, who served as master of ceremonies for the evening, announced the names of the 12 students who had won the chance to have their open mic performances cut into vinyl records. As the students performed their music and poetry, the Consonant Collective team walked the audience through the process of recording and pressing audio. 

The record cutting procedure, they explained, is no simple task. First, the audio track is mixed and mastered on digital audio workstation software. The mastering engineer then uses a cutting lathe to cut the audio into a thin metal disc, creating microscopic grooves that represent the stereo waveform. The lacquer creates a stamper, which is a negative image of the audio track. Finally, the stamper is pressed into a heated puck of vinyl, leaving an imprint of the stereo waveform in the record.

Performing Arts Librarian Liz Waltman, part of the librarian team that spearheaded the event with support from Swarthmore Libraries and the Music and Art History departments, shared her excitement about Consonant Collective’s return to campus. Swarthmore has teamed up with the organization in the past for poetry readings and zine-making workshops, but Vinylfest was their first live record cutting at the college. 

“We were so lucky to have Consonant Collective back! I think that Vinylfest really did help people to learn more about our record collection and get excited.” 

Swarthmore’s vinyl archives contain over 7,000 records, most heavily collected in the 1960s and 1970s. The contents are diverse, ranging from classical pieces to jazz records to pop and rock from later decades. The collections even include spoken word and poetry by Swarthmore students. 

“I don’t think that people realize how vast our archives are. We have vinyls, cassettes, CDs, DVDs, and streaming through Naxos Music. We even have record players available for rental! If students are looking for inspiration, the McCabe exhibit is showing off some of the earlier hits from the collections. You can see Bob Dylan, Springsteen, the Grateful Dead, the Beatles, Fleetwood Mac: all the classics.”

Ms. Waltman says that she hopes Swarthmore Libraries can continue to support student performers through future events.

“We heard a real variety of poetry and musical instruments. The vinyl cutting was a great experience to show Swarthmore’s artists a new medium that they might not have experienced before. Other open mics, other performance opportunities like this, would be fantastic.”

‘Record Art: Music and Design on Vinyl’ will remain on display in McCabe Atrium until February 2026. For information about upcoming events and exhibitions, visit the Swarthmore Libraries and Swarthmore Music Department webpages.