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August 2002, Week 3

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From:
"Rick Prelinger (by way of Jeremy Butler <[log in to unmask]>)" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 18 Aug 2002 20:19:51 -0500
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I am very pleased to announce that the Library of Congress has acquired the
Prelinger Archives film collection.

The official press release is below.  Additional information can be found
at our website, http://www.prelinger.com.

I'd like to thank a few people who (among others) worked hard to make this
possible.  At the Library: Winston Tabb, Greg Lukow, Pat Loughney, and
Peter Stark.  At, or on behalf of, Prelinger Archives: Greg Allen, Timothy
Ries, Kurt Gottschalk, Gabrielle Moss, Megan Prelinger, and Ken Swezey.

Please accept my apology if this reaches you more than once.

With all best,
Rick Prelinger

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

August 19, 2002

Press contact: Craig D'Ooge, Library of Congress  (202) 707-9189
                 Rick Prelinger, Prelinger Archives (415) 750-0445
Public contact: (202) 707-8572


         LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ACQUIRES RARE FILM COLLECTION
         Prelinger Collection Largest Collection of Ephemeral Films


         The Library of Congress announced today its acquisition of the
Prelinger Collection, containing more than 48,000 historical "ephemeral"
motion pictures, from its owner, Prelinger Archives of San Francisco.
         The Prelinger Collection brings together a wide variety of
American ephemeral motion pictures -- advertising, educational, industrial,
amateur, and documentary films depicting everyday life, culture, and
industry in America throughout the 20th century. Although images from the
collection have been used in thousands of films, television programs and
other productions throughout the last 20 years, the films themselves have
not generally been available to researchers and the general public.
         "This comprehensive collection provides a unique window into the
world of 20th century American ideas and lifestyles," said Librarian of
Congress James H. Billington.  "The picture it gives is quite distinct from
that found in Hollywood feature films and newsreels.  These are the films
that children watched in the classroom, that workers viewed in their union
halls, that advertisers presented in corporate boardrooms, and that
homemakers saw at women's club meetings."
         "The Library's acquisition of our collection will ensure its
long-term preservation and render it accessible to future generations.  I'm
thrilled that this cultural and social resource is becoming part of the
world's greatest treasury of recorded human knowledge," said Rick
Prelinger, president of Prelinger Archives.
         Because of the size of the Prelinger Collection (more than 140,000
individual cans of film) and the numerous complexities involved in its
processing, it will take several years before the Library will be in a
position to provide access to these films -- after the completion of a new
motion picture storage and preservation facility in Culpeper, Va.
         However, Prelinger Archives will continue to offer access to the
collection through two primary channels. Those wishing to access films for
research, pleasure or reuse may view and download 1,500 key titles without
charge through the Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org/movies), while
those in search of stock footage for production may acquire it through
Prelinger's authorized representative, Getty Images
(http://www.gettyimages.com).  Detailed information regarding access to the
Prelinger Collection may be found at http://www.prelinger.com.
         The Library of Congress contains the largest collections of film
and television in the world, from the earliest surviving copyrighted motion
picture to the latest feature releases.  Many of the films in the Prelinger
Collection, however, were never submitted for copyright or were produced
during the decades when film prints were not acquired by the Library as
part of the copyright registration process.  This was due to safety
concerns about the storage of film prints produced on the highly flammable
film nitrate stock used by the motion picture industry prior to 1951.
         Ephemeral films vividly document the look and feel of times past
and are unparalleled records of cultural and social history. The Prelinger
Collection contains significant holdings in many areas, including hundreds
of films on social guidance and etiquette; thousands of industrial films
picturing automobile design and manufacturing, communications, technology,
and engineering; over 250 hours of amateur films and home movies shot by
ordinary Americans to document their lives, their homes, and their travels;
films on vanished cultural and social landscapes; films on art, literature,
science and every other field of education; and many thousands of films
produced by regional production companies in all parts of the United States.
         Approximately 40% of the collection consists of unique master
materials, and a significant portion of the remainder is not held by any
other archives.  Two titles in the collection, "Master Hands" (1936) and
"The House in the Middle" (1954), were recently named by the Librarian of
Congress to the National Film Registry of culturally and historically
significant films.

                 # # #
PR 02-106
08/19/02
ISSN 0731-3527
--

Rick Prelinger / Prelinger Archives
P.O. Box 590622, San Francisco CA 94159-0622
+1 415 750-0445 (voice)      +1 415 750-0607 (fax)
[log in to unmask]
http://www.prelinger.com
Internet Moving Images Archive: http://www.archive.org/movies

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