Glossary of Moving Image Organization Types

 

Term
Definition / Scope
Archive A repository containing historical records, often unique or unpublished, which are intended for long-term preservation.
Corporation A commercial or industrial enterprise constituted by one or more persons but authorized by law to act as a single entity.
Distributor An organization that markets films and arranges agreements with exhibitors.
Educational institution An established organization or corporation, often of a public character, which is dedicated to teaching and learning.
Foundation An organization or institution supported by an endowment.
Government agency A unit of government authorized by law or regulation to perform a specific function.
Historical society A nonprofit organization devoted to preserving the historical record of a place, institution, people, activity or thing.
Library An academic, public or school library housing a collection or group of collections of mnaterials organized and maintained for use (consultation, viewing, research, etc.), which is organized to facilitate acces by students or the general pulic, and is staffed by librarians and other personnel trained to provide services to meet user needs. A library established and funded by a commercial firm is found under the Moving Image Organization Type, Corporation. A library established within another organization is found under that Moving Image Organization Type, e.g., a library established and funded by a government agency is found under Government agency, the library of a museum is found under Museum, etc.
Media arts center An organization dedicated to encouraging film, video, audio and online/multimedia arts, and to promoting the cultural contributions of individual media artists, often providing support services such as education, production, exhibition, distribution, collection building, preservation, criticism and advocacy.
Museum An institution which collects, conserves, researches, exhibits, and interprets objects of lasting interest or value for the purposes of study, education and enjoyment.
National library or archive A library or archive designated and funded by a national government to serve the nation by maintaining a comprehensive collection of the published and unpublished literary and/or audiovisual output of the nation as a whole, including publications of the government itself.
News agency An organization that collects and distruvtes news reports to subscribing newspapers, periodicals and newscasters. A news broadcasting company is found under the Moving Image Type, Television company.
Non-profit organization An organization not conducted or maintained for profit, whose net earnings are devoted exclusively to charitable, educational, or recreational purposes. Includes associations, community groups, non-government organizations and politcal campaign organizations established to influence legislation or elect a candidate for public office. Only non-profit moving image organizations that are not defined specifically as an organization type are included here.
Private collection A collection of materials by and/or for one person or group and not intended for use by the general public.
Production company An organization that makes moving images for commercial release, or is formed specifically for the making of a moving image. Inclues multimedia companies.
Research organization An organization whose primary purpose is to conduct systematic, rigorous study and investigation into a particular field or fields, often employing techniques of hypothesis and experimentatation, for the urpose of revealing new facts, thepories or pcinciples, or to determine the current state of knowledge of the subject.
Television company An organization which produces and/or distributes moving images for television. This Moving Image Organization Type includes broadcasters and cablecasters.
   
Viewing of films or videos The moving image organization provides individual or small group viewing of moving images on the premises of the organization.