Scribd
Upload
121 views

Project Proposal 2

The document discusses the author's interest in becoming a film librarian and outlines several questions they have about the role and how film libraries operate. Specifically, the author wants to learn: 1) what television and film archives typically contain beyond just recorded episodes, 2) how cataloging systems in film libraries differ from what they have learned, and 3) what skills and knowledge are needed to work in a film library. The author plans to research these topics by contacting film libraries, searching their websites, and exploring how libraries in other countries interact and catalog their collections.

Uploaded by

api-271901800
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
121 views

Project Proposal 2

The document discusses the author's interest in becoming a film librarian and outlines several questions they have about the role and how film libraries operate. Specifically, the author wants to learn: 1) what television and film archives typically contain beyond just recorded episodes, 2) how cataloging systems in film libraries differ from what they have learned, and 3) what skills and knowledge are needed to work in a film library. The author plans to research these topics by contacting film libraries, searching their websites, and exploring how libraries in other countries interact and catalog their collections.

Uploaded by

api-271901800
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Sophia A.

Demetri
11/2/2014
LIS 640-01

Film Libraries and How they Work


For my final project, I would like to focus on my main goal of becoming a film librarian.
In this sense, I would like to work for someone like TCM or one of the other television networks
and organize their catalogues and records. I could also help them find anything else they might
have stored in their libraries.
In regards to the project at hand though, there are several questions I have about my
future profession that I would like to answer. First, what do network archives typically contain,
and is it all merely recorded episodes? Second, how different is a film librarys method of
cataloging from what weve been learning? Third, what do I need to learn to prepare for such a
profession?
The reason that Id like to figure out whats in a film library is the mere fact that a library
in general holds many things. This is not limited to documents, transcripts, and the occasional
artifact. Knowing this, I cant help but wonder what else the television libraries have in store.
I would like to find out if anything in those libraries can be checked out, or if they are
strictly the property of the network that owns them. Additionally, by finding out what film
libraries will and wont let go of in their archives, I can help dispel a few Internet myths
involving the occasional lost episode of a series being found in a clearance bin. In order to find
the answer to the first question, I would look up the various film libraries online to see what is
typically in their archives. UNCGs film department might also be of help here. While Im not
sure how many connections UNCG has to film or television libraries, I do firmly believe that
they can help me narrow down my search better than Google.

In addition to furthering my knowledge of what these film libraries contain, I would also
like to learn how the cataloging system works in a film library. As you are well aware,
cataloging is the life blood of any library. However, not all libraries are created equal, and each
has its own way of coding and organizing its records and possessions. This nevertheless, does
not tell me much about how film or television network libraries organize their collections, which
is what I intend to find out.
The questions I wish to cover in this category are not only what cataloging methods are
currently used for the collections in film libraries, but also what was used in the past. I know for
a fact that while MARC is typically universal and other programs like AACR have been around
for quite awhile; however, I am very curious about which of these programs or programs like
them were used to begin with. Also I would like to learn how said systems worked in a library
consisting of mostly film strips and possibly transcripts of the materials contained in the
films/film strips. Another thing I would like to research is what programs that existing film
libraries have now, as well as how the programs operate compared to their predecessors.
Other topics related to this that Id like to cover are the challenges that come with
managing the collections of film libraries. For instance, what classes does one need to take in
order to properly manage a film librarys collection? Also how will I know if any programs are
malfunctioning or in need of an update?
My resolution to this problem wouldnt be too different than how I would solve the
previous one. This time however, I would try to make contact with some pre-existing film
libraries much like the ones that I mentioned earlier in this project. This way I can learn from
those who are more experienced than me about how these programs work, as well as how they
apply to libraries of this particular medium. Other methods will involve web searching for these
specific libraries and how they manage, as well as the email addresses and phone numbers of
said institutions.

The last thing I would like to cover is film libraries around the world. Back in my
undergrad days, I was a Media Studies major and one of the biggest things that I learned in
said major was the impact that film has on countries all over the world. For some cultures and
nations, film couldnt have played a bigger role. For example, in Russia you had some of the
greatest film schools and filmmakers imaginable in the first half of the 20th century. Even
though half of these films were for propaganda purposes, there were others that werent. But in
the end all of these films had an impact on the nations culture and the culture of film as a whole.
In addition to the great films of Russia, you also have the German Expressionist films
like Nosferatu and many other great silent films of that nation. More recently are the films in
France featured at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Bollywood films of India. I bring up all
these international cinema treasures so I can properly dive into this topic of my project. I would
like to discover the sorts of film libraries that are in other nations and how they interact.
Furthermore I would like to learn about the connections between the film libraries in America, as
well as if we ever co-mingle with foreign libraries in the fields of film and television.
Most of all, I would like to know what programs these and other nations use to catalogue
their films and television. Which of our programs are the most relied upon? Are their some
programs exclusive to only specific nations and do these other nations have some other programs
that we in the Americas dont use. Most important of all, in nations like China, does the system
of government present effect how the libraries are run, and do communist nations even have film
libraries?
Additionally, if there are even opposing programs in other nations that somehow differ
from programs like RDA, AACR2, MARC, or Bibframe, Id like to see how they work. I would
especially like to know what sort of challenges come with these unique foreign programs and
how to get past them lest I for some reason need to do any sort of work or business with another
country.

In conclusion, I look forward to looking into these topics and enlightening myself in
regards to a profession I hope to someday call my own.

You might also like