Preservation Task Force

July 2003 Report

Work Assignment

The Preservation Task Force divided up the suggested categories of resource types into groups in order to facilitate assigning and distributing an even workload. It was assumed that the annotated listing of organizations not represented elsewhere in MIC and the knowledgebase of experts (supported by MIC database) would best be addressed in the future when the site was more developed. Furthermore, glossaries at other sites is an area that went unassigned for the time being to allow members of this task force to consider the completion and refinement of the MIC preservation glossary.

Current Status of Resources Collected

The task force members gathered a healthy listing of resources. Inevitably, there was some redundancy. At this stage, no resources related to preservation in the suggested categories of oral histories, presentations, and calendar of events were identified to be listed on MIC. Due to an oversight on the part of the group shepherd, not all members were aware that the listings needed to be annotated. Where needed, annotations will be added in due time.

New Categories

A review of the resources collected by the task force members suggests that a number of new resource categories should be included under the heading of preservation. The categories are: Web sites, standards/specifications, and journals. The reasons are as follows:

o There are many whole Web sites, or large portions of sites, devoted to moving image preservation either in general terms and on a technical level.

o Standards and specifications, such as those related to storage environment, housings, media materials, etc., play a key role in moving image preservation. Information about them and how to order them is available on the Web.

o There are a number of professional journals that address both technical and general topics related to moving image preservation. Although few of them are available online, nonetheless it was suggested that bibliographic information about these resources should be provided.

Preservation Training

Because preservation is part and parcel of the many activities involved in moving image archival work, it was not always possible to distinguish training opportunities that address preservation specifically from those that address moving image archival studies and practice more generally. Therefore, on the MIC site where training programs and distance education are listed, we suggest that those programs which offer an opportunity for focused study of moving image preservation, conservation and/or restoration as a specialization are specified as such through annotation. The task force will work to define what is meant by the terms preservation, conservation and restoration as they relate to moving image archival education and which training opportunities address these areas specifically.

Proposed Features to be Developed

The Preservation Task Force is in a strong position to develop new content and resources aimed at the general public, professional archivists, and reformatting/restoration specialists alike. For instance, one task force member is interested in creating a brief guide to U.S. patents geared towards moving image technologies and materials (how to search for them and perhaps offer direct links to some that might be useful). She also has compiled profiles on grants successfully awarded to support video preservation projects in the past which can serve as models, and has written a piece on what makes preservation reformatting different from simply copying, listing points to be covered in written specifications for vendors hired for outsourced reformatting projects. Another member has expressed interest in writing tutorials, developing the MIC glossary of preservation terminology, and evaluating the technical content of links.

Sample of Listings Gathered

Overview Sites

Image Permanence Institute (IPI)
http://www.rit.edu/~661www1/sub_pages/8contents.htm

The Library of Congress Preservation Directorate
http://www.loc.gov/preserv/careothr.html

National Film Preservation Board
http://lcweb.loc.gov/film/

Film Forever, The Home Film Preservation Guide
http://www.filmforever.org/

Gateway for Resources and Information on Preservation (GRIP)
http://www.knaw.nl/ecpa/grip/search.html

FAQs

Screensound Australia “How to Care for Your Film”
http://www.screensound.gov.au/ScreenSound/Screenso.nsf/HeadingPagesDisplay/PreservationHow+to+Care+for+your+Film?OpenDocument

Kodak Motion Picture Film FAQ
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/faq/

The Cutting Corporation, Sound Preservation FAQ
http://www.cuttingarchives.com/head/faq.html

White Papers

Byers, Fred R. 2003. Information Technology: Care and Handling for the Preservation of CDs and DVDs – A Guide for Librarians and Archivists. NIST Special Publication 500-252. National Institute of Standards and Technology. <http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/carefordisc/>

Geller, S. B. 1983. Care and handling of computer magnetic storage media. NBS special publication 500-101. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology, National Bureau of Standards.

General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Recommendation for the safeguarding and preservation of moving images. Adopted at the 21st session, Belgrade, Yugoslavia, October 27, 1980. <http://www.unesco.org/culture/laws/cinema/html_eng/page1.shtml>

International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF). 1991. Handling, Storage and Transport of Cellulose Nitrate Film. Brussels: International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF).

Library of Congress, 1994. Redefining film preservation: a national plan. Recommendations of the Librarian of Congress in consultation with the National Film Preservation Board. Washington, D. C.: Library of Congress.

Bibliographies, Webliographies, and Bibliographic Databases:

AATA Online: abstracts of international conservation literature. Getty Conservation Institute; International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. <http://aata.getty.edu/NPS/>

Bibliographic Database of the Conservation Information Network (BCIN). Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN). <http://www.bcin.ca/> [English and French.]

Child, Margaret S. 1993. Directory of information sources on scientific research related to the preservation of sound recordings, still and moving images and magnetic tape. Washington, D.C.: The Committee on Preservation and Access. <http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/child/child.html>
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). On-line library catalogue. <http://library.iccrom.org/libris> [English and French.]

An Audio Visual Archives Reader
http://www.sentex.net/~ritchpat/bib.html#motion

Australian Network for Information on Cellulose Acetate, Storage References
http://www.nla.gov.au/anica/Guide_pg7.html

Australian Network for Information on Cellulose Acetate, Annotated Bibliography
http://www.nla.gov.au/anica/annib.html

Conservation OnLine, Preservation of Audio Materials
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/audio/

Conservation OnLine, Preservation of Motion Picture Film
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/motion-pictures/

Conservation OnLine, Video Preservation
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/video/

Hollywood Vaults, Preservation Resources
http://www.hollywoodvaults.com/resources.html

Image Permanence Institute Bibliography
http://www.rit.edu/~661www1/sub_pages/8page24.htm

Standards / Specifications

National Fire Protection Association. 2001. Standard for the storage and handling of cellulose nitrate film. <http://www.nfpa.org/Codes/NFPA_Codes_and_Standards/List_of_NFPA_documents/NFPA_40.asp>

Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE)
<http://www.smpte.org/smpte_store/standards/>

Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, 1994. Proposed SMPTE recommended practice, RP 131: Storage of Motion-Picture Film. SMPTE Journal 103, n. 3: 201-205.

RP 103-1982 (Reaffirmed 1987), Care and Handling of Video Magnetic Recording Tape.

Library of Congress

Specification Number 800-852-1/14/03. Specifications for Plastic Containers for Long-term Storage of Motion Picture Film and Magnetic Tape Media. <http://www.loc.gov/preserv/supply/specs/800-852.html>

Specification Number 800-851-6/16/03. Specifications for Stainless Steel Cans For Long-term Storage of Motion Picture Film. <http://www.loc.gov/preserv/supply/specs/800-851.html>

Journals

Moving Image Preservation:

American Cinematographer. 1920-present. Hollywood: American Society of Cinematographers.

Journal of Film Preservation. 1993-present. Brussels: International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF).

The Moving Image: The Journal of the Association of Moving Image Archivists. 2001-present. Minneapolis, Minn.: University of Minnesota Press.

Conservation

Conservation Administration News. 1979-1995. Laramie: University of Wyoming Libraries.

Restaurator. 1969-present. Copenhagen: Munksgaard.

Topics in Photographic Preservation. 1986-present. Washington, D.C.: American Institute for Conservation, Photographic Materials Group.

Scientific and Technical

Journal of Imaging Science and Technology. 1992-present. Springfield, Va.: Society for Imaging Science and Technology.

Journal of Photographic Science. 1953-1996. London: Royal Photographic Society.

Journal of the Audio Engineering Society. 1953-present. New York: Audio Engineering Society.

Journal of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. 1916-present. Scarsdale, N.Y.: The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers.

Technical Resources

Kodak, Film Storage & Handling
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/technical/care.shtml

Kodak, Film Identification
http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/motion/support/h1/identificationP.shtml

Film Formats
http://www.focalpress.com/companions/0240804112/formats.htm

Video Format Identification Guide
http://216.149.118.71/VideoID//

Funding Sources

The Film Foundation
http://www.film-foundation.org/ (June 27, 2003)
The Film Foundation is a not–profit organization made up of artists concerned with the preservation of film, who through education programs and public campaign work to raise awarness and fund film preservation projects

National Film Preservation Foundation
http://www.filmpreservation.org/ (June 27, 2003)
A Non-profit organization established by Congress to support film preservation, research, and access. NFPF looks to fund projects that would be unlikely to funding without public support.

Training Opportunities

Archimedia (June 27, 2003)
http://www.ledoux.be/archimedia/main_en.htm
European Training Network for the Promotion of Cinema Heritage which runs a training program and conferences on European film heritage.

Féderation Internationale des Archives du Film (FIAF) Summer School Training
http://www.fiafnet.org/uk/education/ss_info.cfm (June 25, 2003)
An international organization of Film Archives, which seeks to ensure the preservation and exhibition of the world’s cinema heritage. Publishes a quarterly journal, provides training for international archival staff via a summer school program, and hosts International conferences and co-hosts an annual technical symposia.

MA in Film Studies (with Archiving Option) University of East Anglia
http://www.uea.ac.uk/eas/Teaching/Post%20Grad/film.htm (June 25, 2003)
British University program with an Archiving Specialization.

Moving Image Archiving and Preservation at the Tisch School of the Art, NYU
http://www.tisch.nyu.edu/preservation/ (June 25, 2003)
Masters program in preservation of film, video, digital, and new media.

Moving Image Archival Studies Program, UCLA
http://www.mias.ucla.edu/ (June 25, 2003)
Masters program in moving image archival studies.