Dear Randy and all, But before your time, librarians used to take great pride in buying 16mm films directly from the filmmaker. (I just had a tinge of loss when I thought about Lillian Katz from Port Washington, NY) And it's true that it may seem like a bigger pain in the ass today, remember that this was during a time when everything was handwritten and typed. BUT, that's just about putting thing in perspective.
What's more important is that those 16mm prints helped preserve many, many films. The 16mm negatives are long gone and the New York Public Library Reserve Film & Video Collection -- seen by many 20 years ago as an anachronism -- is one of the great film archives in the country now. (Their archivist is on the AMIA board with me, something that either of us might not have been considered "worthy" a couple decades ago.) And people like Rick Prelinger and Skip Elsheimer who brought up library collections are now considered the owners of major archival collections in their own right. So, to get back to the original question, digital media is a major threat to archival preservation. Especially if media is considered ephemeral instead of essential. It's a big issue for AMIA and the other archival media organizations. What to do about it is the biggest question and there's entire conferences on the issue. (I just got back from one in Zurich this past week.) Here's a good question. How many librarians/institutions are backing up their hard drives of one-of-a-kind digital material (like student films or these special purchases) with LTO tapes? Best regards, Dennis Doros Milestone Film & Video PO Box 128 / Harrington Park, NJ 07640 Phone: 201-767-3117 / Fax: 201-767-3035 / Email: [email protected] Visit our main website! www.milestonefilms.com Visit our new websites! www.mspresents.com, www.portraitofjason.com, www.shirleyclarkefilms.com, To see or download our 2014 Video Catalog, click here <http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0150/7896/files/2014MilestoneVideoCatalog.pdf?75> ! Support "Milestone Film" on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Milestone-Film/22348485426> and Twitter <https://twitter.com/#!/MilestoneFilms>! See the website: Association of Moving Image Archivists <http://www.amianet.org/> and like them on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Association-of-Moving-Image-Archivists/86854559717> AMIA 2014 Conference, Savannah, Georgia, October 8-11, 2014 <http://www.amianet.org/> On Tue, Jun 10, 2014 at 5:22 PM, Jessica Rosner <[email protected]> wrote: > Well to hear places like Indiewire discuss it physical copies are going > the way of the dodo. The digital revolution is a double edged sword more > stuff available both new and old but complicated if you want physical > copies or even digital ones that can be shared. > > What do you or others think are potential solutions. > > > On Tue, Jun 10, 2014 at 5:18 PM, Randy Pitman <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> Hi Jessica, >> >> ...which might work for academic libraries but will be a humungous pain >> in the arse for public librarians who are overseeing collections ranging >> from hundreds to thousands of titles. Title by title transactions have >> always sucked major for pub libs—or at least it did when I was working in a >> library ages ago :) >> >> Best, >> >> Randy >> >> Randy Pitman >> Publisher/Editor >> Video Librarian >> 3435 NE Nine Boulder Dr. >> Poulsbo, WA 98370 >> Tel: (360) 626-1259 >> Fax (360) 626-1260 >> E-mail: [email protected] >> Web: www.videolibrarian.com >> >> *From:* Jessica Rosner <[email protected]> >> *Sent:* Tuesday, June 10, 2014 2:03 PM >> *To:* [email protected] >> *Subject:* Re: [Videolib] Online-Only Media and Libraries >> >> Well I suspect the indie stuff being available in digital only is not >> some plot to keep them out of the hands of >> libraries and educators but more a cost issue. I would bet if you could >> contact filmmakers and distributors for these they would be MORE than >> willing to work something out if they could get a reasonable fee. >> >> By all means please explore this with your grant. >> >> Jessica >> >> >> On Tue, Jun 10, 2014 at 5:00 PM, Randy Pitman <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> Hi John, >>> >>> This will be one of the defining issues for media librarians in the >>> coming >>> decade as at least some physical media is gradually being supplanted by >>> digital-only options. Without sounding too George-Lucas-ish, this is the >>> true dark side of digital--a stark underscoring of the fact that >>> possession >>> (physical) is the proverbial 9/10ths of the law. >>> >>> I am increasingly seeing press releases that highlight digital-only >>> releases--titles that have no mechanism in place for lending/showing in >>> public or academic libraries. What's sadder is that these are not crap >>> Hollywood rom-coms, bro-mances, and paint-by-number action flicks, but >>> rather serious indie efforts and--most worrisome--compelling >>> documentaries >>> that may not have any real commercial legs. >>> >>> It's excellent news that you have a grant to explore possible solutions >>> to >>> this dilemma. I suspect that other VRT members are also very concerned >>> about >>> this issue. >>> >>> Best, >>> >>> Randy >>> >>> Randy Pitman >>> Publisher/Editor >>> Video Librarian >>> 3435 NE Nine Boulder Dr. >>> Poulsbo, WA 98370 >>> Tel: (360) 626-1259 >>> Fax (360) 626-1260 <%28360%29%20626-1260> >>> E-mail: [email protected] >>> Web: www.videolibrarian.com >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: John Vallier >>> Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 1:34 PM >>> To: [email protected] >>> Subject: [Videolib] Online-Only Media and Libraries >>> >>> Hi Everyone, >>> >>> I have a grant this year to help propose solutions to the online-only >>> music >>> issue facing libraries (that is, music that can't be purchased on a >>> tangible >>> format and can't be purchased as a download by libraries b/c of >>> restrictive >>> terms of use, e.g., Amazon, iTunes, Google). More about the project is >>> here: >>> http://guides.lib.washington.edu/imls2014 >>> >>> This issue extends beyond sound recordings, of course, and into the >>> world of >>> video. For example, I was just asked to purchase and download a video >>> that's >>> only available on Vimeo. When asked if we could purchase and download the >>> video for our library, Vimeo wrote: "The license issued to you when you >>> rent >>> or buy VOD work is for personal viewing only. It does not allow you to >>> redistribute the work or show it publicly." >>> >>> Are any of you encountering this issue, i.e., where you can't buy a title >>> b/c it's licensed for personal use only and there is no DVD or other >>> tangible alternative? If so, could you let me know what the titles are >>> (off-list is probably best, then I can share w/ the group). Having a >>> list on >>> hand may help convince creators, distributors and policy makers that a >>> library-friendly solution is needed. >>> >>> Thanks, >>> >>> John >>> _________ >>> John Vallier >>> head, distributed media >>> University of Washington Libraries, Seattle >>> http://guides.lib.washington.edu/vallier >>> >>> >>> >>> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >>> issues >>> relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, >>> preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries >>> and >>> related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an >>> effective >>> working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication >>> between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and >>> distributors. >>> >>> >>> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >>> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic >>> control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in >>> libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as >>> an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of >>> communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video >>> producers and distributors. >>> >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic >> control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in >> libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as >> an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of >> communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video >> producers and distributors. >> >> >> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic >> control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in >> libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as >> an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of >> communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video >> producers and distributors. >> >> > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic > control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in > libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as > an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of > communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video > producers and distributors. > >
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
