Nearly 90 recordings made in 1940–1941 capture the sounds of bells from Czech towns and villages, many of which were later lost to wartime requisitions. Thanks to a collaboration between the Czech Radio Archive, Wikimedia Czech Republic Association, and the Wikimedia community, these recordings are now available on Wikimedia Commons, linked to Wikidata, and can be heard directly in Wikipedia articles.
But how did these archival recordings become a freely accessible, living collection?