Project Information
Where We Started
Through the CLIR Recordings at Risk grant, we were able to digitize 130 moving image titles from Bancroft’s Environmental audiovisual collections. While we had identified a number of collections and items for reformatting during our assessments, we needed to do further selection to identify priorities based on the amount of funding we received. We first looked at which titles were unique so that we were not reformatting materials that were widely available. We also wanted to determine which materials were most at-risk or actively deteriorating by reviewing condition concerns identified in the assessment.
Learning about the Collections
Because the items we hoped to reformat were part of archival collections, few items had been cataloged individually and many did not have detailed information about their contents or runtime, so our first step was to get a clearer understanding of our holdings.
Two audiovisual collection assessments were carried out in 2015 and 2017 by interns Jonathan Farbowitz and Becca Bender from the Moving Image Archiving & Preservation program (MIAP) at the Tisch School at New York University, led by Founding MIAP Director Howard Besser. The assessments found various storage and condition issues that needed to be addressed. Visible signs of decay associated with vinegar syndrome—shrinking, warping, brittleness, and the appearance of crystals on the surface – were evident in some materials. Also, degradation of the binder layer of videotape, or sticky shed syndrome was also found during the assessment. The assessment clearly indicated that digital reformatting was critical to preserving these materials. As part of their work, the MIAP interns also compiled a list of at-risk titles needing reformatting. In 2019, a third MIAP summer intern, Mary Jackson, helped to identify moving image and sound items for reformatting from that list, and also assisted with quality control procedures on digitized files, and captioned and transcribed digitized videos.
When I began the position of Audiovisual Project Archivist, I read through previous intern reports, gaining a glimpse into the condition of the materials. I began working with the massive spreadsheet of at-risk items, and researched each and every title to find out what we had and what would be a good candidate for digitization. Because so many titles had yet to be cataloged, I was able to contribute to the item-level metadata, or information about each title.
Research, Assessment, and Selection
The majority of Bancroft’s audiovisual materials are stored at an off-site storage facility, so I had to request materials be sent to Bancroft. Once the films arrived, I had to literally get my hands dirty handling and assessing the condition of the materials.
For my deep dive into the research, I checked to see if any titles were held at other libraries or institutions, or if titles were available for purchase. I spoke with Bancroft’s Copyright & Information Policy Specialist to go over questions I had about copyright. Next, I checked YouTube, Vimeo, Docuseek , and Google to find links for any films accessible online. Because many films had not yet been marked or cataloged, I didn’t always have a title to aid in the search, which made things quite tricky. After reformatting, I discovered that some titles had already been uploaded by other institutions or individuals. This is just par for the course when dealing with unmarked and unidentified audiovisual materials.
While I researched titles, I trained a student assistant to note the condition of each film reel or videotape. We recorded any information written on the reel/tape and can/box, including any handwritten notes. We also repurposed information from existing catalog records and finding aids.
Detecting Deterioration
Motion picture safety film is highly susceptible to what is called vinegar syndrome. This is a form of decay, where the acetate base of the film has begun to degrade or is actively deteriorating. The smell can be very strong and any films showing signs of vinegar need to be separated from other films to prevent spread. Luckily, we were able to place the collection’s vinegar films into cold storage to contain the deterioration. AD-strips are used to check the level of deterioration and the color of the strip changes after a 24 hour period. As you can see in the above image, there are colors and numbers on a pencil, which is used to gauge the levels. Blue is what is desired, which is the original color of the strips, and yellow means trouble. The closer to yellow, the worse the film’s condition, creating a good argument for preservation. Other issues an archivist can encounter within film collections include mold, brittle film, or color fading. It is best to keep all materials in cool and dry conditions, but of course this isn’t always possible.
The Final Product
Throughout the project, I kept in close contact with the digitization vendor The Media Preserve. Before the project began, we obtained a quote from several vendors, eventually selecting The Media Preserve, establishing the technical specifications and detailing the deliverables, following guidelines provided by the California Audiovisual Preservation Project (CAVPP), now the California Revealed (CA-R) project, which offers best practices for moving image and sound preservation. We requested XML metadata files, access and preservation copies in High Definition for film and Standard Definition for video, and jpegs of each object in its original housing. Because many film cans or boxes can become damaged, they need to be rehoused. The jpegs provide the information from the original can or box. This is all standard practice for audiovisual preservation. Once I received the hard drives containing all files, I viewed each one through a quality control process to ensure every file opens and plays and noted any issues I came across. Once everything was finalized, the collection made its way online.