The U.S. Library of Congress today announced that it has chosen 25 sound recordings to be placed in the library’s National Recording Registry. The recordings will now be preserved as “cultural, artistic, and/or historical treasures” of the U.S.

The selections were made according to the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which tasks the National Recording Preservation Board with selecting 25 recordings each year that are deemed to be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The board is made up of experts and “leaders” of the music, recorded sound, and preservation industries.

Each year’s selections must be at least 10 years old. Each of the selections’ best existing version will be identified and stored in the Library of Congress’ Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation.

Including this year’s selections, the Library’s collection now stands at 400 recordings. In addition, the library also holds a collection of more than 3.5 million sound recordings.

This year’s nominees were selected from nominations submitted online and through the National Recording Preservation Board. The Library of Congress is already accepting nominations for next year’s selections.

Prominent among the selections is the 1974 Linda Ronstadt album Heart Like a Wheel. The album includes such hits as “You’re No Good” and “Faithless Love.”

Other recording selected for this year’s induction include the 1987 U2 album The Joshua Tree, the song “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime,” Roland Hayes’ version of the song “Were You There.” the Louvin Brothers song “When I Stop Dreaming,” the Everly Brothers song “Cathy’s Clown,” the 1962 Vaughn Meader comedy album The First Family, the Creedence Clearwater Revival song “Fortunate Son,” the original cast recording of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd, the Jeff Buckley song “Hallelujah,”the Issac Hayes soundtrack for the movie Shaft, and the entire collection of Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidential conversation recordings.

“These recordings represent an important part of America’s culture and history,” said James Billington, Librarian of Congress. “As technology continually changes and formats become obsolete, we must ensure that our nation’s aural legacy is protected. The National Recording Registry is at the core of this effort.”

Image via Carl Lender