NATIONAL FILM PRESERVATION FOUNDATION PUBLISHES NEW FILM PRESERVATION GUIDES FOR LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS
Contact: Annette Melville (415-392-7291, melville@filmpreservation.org)
San Francisco, CA (March 23, 2004)—The National Film Preservation Foundation, the nonprofit organization created by the U.S. Congress to help save America's film heritage, today announced the publication of two new guides to assist archives, libraries, and museums in preserving their films.
The Film Preservation Guide: The Basics for Archives, Libraries, and Museums is written specifically for collection professionals without prior film preservation training. Illustrated with photographs prepared by George Eastman House, the publication traces the path of film through the preservation process, from acquisition to exhibition, and describes methods for handling, duplicating, making available, and storing motion pictures that are practical for research collections of 8mm, 16mm, and 35mm film. The 138-page guide includes a glossary, index, equipment and vendor lists, and case studies.
The IPI Media Storage Quick Reference is designed for institutions that store films as part of mixed-media collections. Developed by the Image Permanence Institute of the Rochester Institute of Technology, the 10-page reference tool with look-up wheel summarizes the key preservation issues for motion picture film, glass plate photographic negatives, audiotape, videotape, DVDs, CDs, and paper prints, and provides charts comparing how varying temperature conditions affect the long-term stability of each material.
"These are the first preservation guides designed specifically for the types of motion pictures generally found in American libraries and museums," said Dr. Abby Smith, Director of Programs of the Council on Library and Information Resources, who served on the project editorial committee. "Both publications answer common questions in plain English and are sure to demystify this highly technical area for scores of research institutions."
The two publications are the result of a National Film Preservation Foundation collaborative project to create reference tools for regional film collections. The project was made possible through a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Serving on the editorial committee were preservationists from the Council of Library and Information Resources, Duke University, the Image Permanence Institute, the L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation at George Eastman House, the Minnesota Historical Society, the Nebraska State Historical Society, and Northeast Historic Film.
Free copies of The Film Preservation Guide can be downloaded from the NFPF Web site (www.filmpreservation.org) or requested in book form by mail. There is an $8.00 fee for domestic shipping ($12 for international requests), payable in advance, for each copy. The IPI Media Storage Quick Reference may be purchased directly from IPI. Free copies of the IPI booklet can be downloaded from the IPI Web site, www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org, which also features an interactive Internet version of the wheel.
The National Film Preservation Foundation is the charitable affiliate of the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress. Since starting operation in 1997, the NFPF has advanced film preservation in 34 states and the District of Columbia and helped save more than 630 films.
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