An article in this week's _Chronicle of Higher Education_ (11/3)
reports that Vanderbilt University's comprehensively indexed (and,
unfortunately, relatively unsung) TV archive, dating back to 1968 and
maintained exclusively for the use of scholars, is in financial trouble.
University officials are considering making indexes of their collection
available to researchers via Internet in order to reduce printing and
postage costs and to raise the archive's profile, which would translate
into additional revenue.
        Despite a 1976 court ruling that upheld the archive's right to loan
copies of materials in its collection to researchers on a not-for-profit
basis, the networks have threatened to sue to stop Internet distribution of
its index.  They fear that making it easier for researchers to access the
collection will interfere with their ability to _sell_ copies of their
programs to researchers, themselves.  The suit would be a moot point to
scholars if their were no question about the survival of the archive even
without Internet distribution of its index.  Unfortunately, that does not
appear to be the case.
        Incidentally, the article reports that the archive collects not
just programs, but whole blocks of broadcasting from all three networks and
CNN, copiously indexed, down to the minute. Researchers can obtain a paper
index of the collection to locate items of interest and then mail-order
video dubs of those items for a modest fee.  Since I was unaware of this
marvelous resource, I figured others of you might be, too.
        For more information, see the fairly lengthy report in the _Chronicle_.