Information

and Tools for

Managing Your

Non-Paper

Holdings

Getting the Max from the Mix!ALA/RBMS Annual MeetingAnaheim, CA – June 29, 2008

Snowden BeckerThe Center for Home Movies

&University of Texas, Austin

School of Information

A little bit about me…• Received MLIS from UCLA (Go Bruins!)•Working on PhD in Information Studies at UT, Austin (Hook ‘em, Horns!)

•Research interests deal with how audiovisual materials are integrated into our larger cultural heritage

•Especially interested in amateur film and home movies•Co-founded Home Movie Day (2002) and the nonprofit Center for Home Movies (2005)•With Katie Trainor, I lead the SAA “Becoming a Film-Friendly

Archivist” workshop on identifying, assessing, preserving, and managing film in mixed collections

A little bit about you…•Who has film?

•Commercial productions, newsreels, educational andinstructional films, home movies, other

•Who has video? •Local television, commercial productions, interviews, etc.

•Who has audio? •Oral history recordings, production elements, music collections, other

•Who has digital? •Born-digital media, access copies on hard drives or DVDs, other

The basic steps1. Counting 2. Identifying3. Assessing4. Describing5. Quantifying6. Prioritizing7. Preserving8. Publicizing

Resources highlighted•Web sites, databases, and online directories•Recent and essential print publications•Institutions and organizations•Educational programs, workshops, and conferences•Focus is on practical resources—low-cost or no-cost, things that tell or show you how to deal with A/V materials, and tools you can use now

We’ll be moving quickly through these. Please see the handout for links and citations, and feel free to ask questions

or contribute a comment at any time!

1. Counting1. Counting

2. Identifying2. Identifying3. Assessing3. Assessing

• Film: NFPF: The Film Preservation Guide;

100 Years of Film Sizes; filmforever.org; Folkstreams’

Video Aids to Film PreservationVideotape: TCA Video Conservation Guide

Audio: Conservation OnLine, Richardhess.comDigital and Multimedia: Electronic Arts Intermix

*Resources for film and video are currently the best, but this may change in the near future*

Media identification and condition

assessment

NFPF: The Film Preservation Guide•Accessible online; can also be downloaded as a PDF, or in hard copy ($8)•Comprehensive guide for archives, libraries, and museums includes basic instructions for care and handling, case studies, sample inventory forms, and much more!

100 Years of Film Sizes•Adapted from Dutch article (now in English!)•Richly illustrated; great for identifying unusual items if you’re stumped•Good bibliography and links section, with many sites devoted to specific film formats

Filmforever.org: The Home Film Preservation Guide

•Available online and as PDF download•Also in Japanese! More languages on the way•Useful resource for archivists AND members of the public•Includes information on effective home storage and disaster recovery in case of floods, fire, etc.

Folkstreams.net: Video Aids to Film Preservation

•Short video tutorials on topics related to film preservation•Works as a supplement to the NFPF Film Preservation Guide•Demonstrates safe film handling and repair techniques, plus cleaning and repair of equipment

TX Commission on the Arts: Video conservation guide

•Accessible online; can also be downloaded as a PDF•Describes videotape formats and features•Lists risk factors for deterioration, warning signs to look for•Includes glossary and list of informational resources

Chart for visual identification of video formats; scale photos

show key features

AMIA Videotape Preservation Fact Sheets

•Published online by the Association of Moving Image Archivists•Provides information in 18 subject areas including Equipment Maintenance and Disaster Planning•The Glossary section is especially helpful, as even basic video guides rely on technical terms and abbreviations

Conservation OnLine: Preservation of Audio Materials

•Annotated bibliography / webliography of resources related to audio preservation•Updated regularly•Includes digital media resources•Good starting point; leads to many other essential resources

Richardhess.com•Vendor web site…BUT it has a wealth of detail on preservation and restoring a variety of audio formats•For most formats, Hess will provide names and links for vendors who can do restoration work

Electronic Arts Intermix•Focused on multimedia and video, installation art•Best Practices section includes information on handling and assessment of media components, including analog and digital video

4. Describing4. Describing

Research resources: Moving Image Collections online (MIC), Special libraries and archives, Books

and publications, Listservs and databasesCataloging and description: AMIA Compendium of

Moving Image Cataloging PracticeOdds and Ends

Research, context, and

cataloging

Cataloging• AMIA Compendium of Moving Image Cataloging Practice (2001)•Co-published by AMIA and SAA•Describes film, video, and television cataloging practices at 27 different institutions•Includes sample catalog entries from each organization, using MARC and non-MARC record standards

MIC: Moving Image Collections online•Union database of moving image holdings•Directory of institutions with motion picture materials•Clearinghouse for information on preservation, collections management, and other topics•Useful for copy cataloging•Use it to find information you need, or to help researchers find your collection

Copyright and IP• Depositing Films with Archives: A Guide to the Legal Issues (2001)•Information for you; information for your donors•Written by a lawyer, but not in legalese•Explains the nature of copyright (it is divisible, transferable, etc.) and breaks down the different kinds of intellectual property rights

Copyright and IP• CLIR Pub 135: Copyright Issues Relevant to…Pre-1972 Sound Recordings (2005)•Available free as PDF or text doc•Especially useful for music collections, but relevant to other recorded-sound collections too•Illuminates the legal cracks through which sound recordings have fallen•One of several helpful reports from CLIR

Books of interest•The Field Guide to Sponsored Films (2006)•Published by NFPF and available online, as PDF, and in hard copy•Provides title, summary, production details, and holdings information for over 450 educational and industrial films

•Home Movies: A History of the American Industry (2000)•Detailed chronicle of amateur films and home movie technology by historian and collector Alan Kattelle

Special libraries and collections•The Library of Congress, University of South Carolina, UCLA Film & Television Archive, and Northeast Historic Film all have searchable collections databases for their motion pictures.

•The Margaret Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is devoted to motion picture history—they have many publications, periodicals, and special collections related to film and are a good starting point for any film history research project

Odds and Ends•Edge code charts for motion picture film help identify dates

•Online converters for length/running time are useful when surveying collections of film and audiotape, getting estimates for preservation work, or planning projects that involve viewing or listening to large numbers of films/tapes

•Listserv archives are an excellent (and low-profile!) way to look for answers to specific questions, titles of commercial works that have been discussed before, or authorities on a specific subject or people who are located in your region

5. Quantifying5. Quantifying

Collection assessments and surveys•CaliPR: Needs assessment survey tool developed for use in statewide survey of A/V and paper collections

•HTML version is available online and can be used by anyone

•“Surveying Sound Recording Collections” by Hannah Frost: Paper presented at the Sound Savings symposium at UT Austin in 2003

Collection assessments and surveys•Columbia University

•Downloadable version available; no playback required

•NYU: VIPIRS (Visual and Playback Inspection Ratings System)

•First phase designed for magnetic media only (video and audio)

•UIUC A/V Self-assessment tool•Open-source platform; no playback required

•Publications describing survey projects undertaken at other institutions

Vendors, Supplies, and

Equipment•The NFPF Guide

•Pp. 95-98 lists vendors for cans, supplies, lab services•Ch. 5 covers working with labs

•Richardhess.com•For specific sound media, his site lists vendors who do restoration or transfer work

•Lists of previous grant recipients for audiovisual preservation•NFPF, NEH, NEA, NHPRC, NTVPF, ARSC, Grammy•Many of them did this for the first time under the grant funding, and are up the steepest part of the learning curve

•Other departments at your institution – esp. cinema, sports•Donors and depositors of A/V materials – ask when it comes in!

Vendors, Supplies, and

Equipment•eBay, Craig’s List, Goodwill, etc.

•Caveat emptor!•Try before you buy

More general tips:•Trust your gut: People who want your business for the long term should be nice to you.•Ask questions: If they make you feel dumb for asking, don’t work with them.•Moving parts are where things go wrong. Keep them clean!•Use at least four of your five senses when working with A/V.•Leader is cheap; your time is expensive.

6. Prioritizing6. Prioritizing

Ethics & Professional practice• Ethics and the Archival Profession (2003)•Doesn’t address A/V materials specifically, but you can pretend!•Based on actual events and case studies

• Appraising Moving Images (2002)•Provides good background on how archives evaluate and assess motion picture materials

Ethics & Professional practice• Film Preservation: Competing definitions of value, use, and practice (2007)•Based on field observations and interviews Gracy conducted at several film archives•Provides theoretical framework for film preservation as an aspect of cultural production (Bourdieusian approach)

7. Preserving7. Preserving

Funding!

Grant programs: NFPF, NTVPF, ARSC, NEH, NEA, NHPRC, Grammy Foundation; others are listed on the MIC resources page and in databases

•Don’t try to do it all at once•Pilot projects save $$;they minimize mistakes

•Use your imagination•Think creatively aboutwho has an interest•Consider a “third path” – putting access first, etc.

8. Publicizing8. Publicizing

You are not alone!There are literally dozens of regional, national, and

international organizations that bring together people who work with A/V materials preservation

Professional Support

ARSC, AES, NFPF, NTVPF, ACVL, AMIA (RAVA, SGAF, LGBT, Academic-Archival, NewsDocTV), FIAF, SAA (Vismat), IMAP, IPI, AIC (EMG), AFI…

Listservs and database resources•The International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF): Treasures from the Film Archives database, International Index to Film and Television Periodicals, and the FIAF membership directory•The Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA): AMIA-L listserv and listserv archives•The Oral History Association listerv•Association of Recorded Sound Collections listserv

Outreach: Home Movie Day• Annual event observed in over 50 cities worldwide•Outreach, public education, and collection development opportunity for archives•Dozens of venues in the US and abroad; visit the web site or talk to me afterward if you’re interested in hosting or supporting a local event!

Outreach: Other optionsPreservation without access is pointless!

•Write a press release•Write an article, conference paper, or book•Have a party•Create an exhibit or show that uses the material•Upload to Internet Archive (or YouTube, if you must)•Make bookmarks, postcards, buttons, or t-shirts•Involve visitors, members, donors in the process