[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 3, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 171-173]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-52]
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Request for Information and Notice of Hearing: Study of the
Current State of American Television and Video Preservation
AGENCY: Library of Congress.
ACTION: Notice of inquiry; notice of hearing.
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SUMMARY: This Notice of Inquiry and Notice of Hearing advises the
public
[[Page 172]]
that the Librarian of Congress, in consultation with interested
organizations and individuals, is conducting a study of the state of
American television and video preservation and restoration in the
United States. This study is being prepared pursuant to Public Law 94-
553, which includes The American Television and Radio Archives Act of
1976. Section 113 (2 U.S.C. 170) authorizes the Librarian of Congress
to preserve a permanent record of the television and radio programs
which are the heritage of the people of the United States and to
provide access to such programs to historians and scholars without
encouraging or causing copyright infringement. This notice invites the
submission of comments and information that will assist the Librarian
in understanding the issues involved in the preservation of television
and video materials nationwide. In addition, a Notice of Hearing
advises the public that to complete this study the Librarian will hold
three public hearings in March 1996 in Los Angeles, New York, and
Washington, DC. Groups or individuals interested in participating in
these public hearings should contact the Library of Congress about
submitting oral and written comments. The hearings and public comments
requested in this Notice are intended to elicit information (1) to
assist the Librarian of Congress, in consultation with interested
organizations and individuals, with the completion of the study and the
establishment of a comprehensive national television and video
preservation program; and (2), to coordinate the efforts of television
and video archivists, copyright owners, creators, educators, and
historians and other scholars concerned with preserving America's
television and video heritage. The Librarian particularly invites
comments from the following organizations and individuals: archives and
libraries; broadcast and production companies, including local
television stations; awards associations; schools specializing in
television and video production training; interested funding
organizations; federal and state agencies; museums; professional
associations consisting of archivists, producers, creators,
broadcasters, historians and other scholars; independent writers and
researchers; manufacturers; and technical services vendors.
DATES AND HEARINGS AND PUBLIC COMMENTS: The three public hearings will
be held in 1996: March 6, Los Angeles; March 19, New York; and March
26, Washington, DC.
All requests to testify orally at any of the hearings in March must
be made by the deadline indicated below. The request should clearly
identify the person and/or organization desiring to comment. The
Librarian of Congress will provide additional information regarding the
location and time of these hearings in the near future. Written
statements for the hearings should be submitted in camera-ready copy by
the dates indicated.
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1996
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Los Angeles Hearing Deadlines:
February 16............................... Receipt of requests to
testify.
February 21............................... Receipt of written
statements.
March 6................................... Public hearing in Los
Angeles.
New York Hearing Deadlines:
February 28............................... Receipt of requests to
testify.
March 6................................... Receipt of written
statements.
March 19.................................. Public hearing in New York.
Washington Hearing Deadlines:
March 6................................... Receipt of requests to
testify.
March 12.................................. Receipt of written
statements.
March 26.................................. Public hearing in
Washington.
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Written submissions for use in the study are also invited from
persons or organizations unable to testify or attend the hearings. All
written comments or supplementary information should be received, in
camera-ready copy, by April 29, 1996.
ADDRESSES: The written statements, supplementary statements, or
comments should be submitted as follows:
If sent by mail: Library of Congress, M/B/RS Division, Washington,
DC, 20540-4690; Attn: Steve Leggett.
If delivered by hand: Library of Congress, M/B/RS Division, 338
James Madison Memorial Building, First and Independence Avenue, SE,
Washington, DC, 20540-4690.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Leggett, Library of Congress, M/
B/RS Division, Washington, DC, 20540-4690. Telephone: (202) 707-5912;
Facsimile: (202) 707-2371; or, William T. Murphy, Coordinator for the
State of the American Television and Video Preservation Report, Library
of Congress, M/B/RS Division, Washington, DC, 20540-4690. Telephone:
(202) 707-5708; Facsimile: (202) 707-2371.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Librarian of Congress has determined, in
consultation with the National Film Preservation Board established
pursuant to the National Film Preservation Act of 1992 (Pub. L. 102-
307), that there is little up-to-date information on the problems
facing American television and video preservation. For example, there
is no current inventory of television and video materials in the public
or private sector custody throughout the United States. Given the
popularity and convenience of videotape, holdings are estimated to
exceed several hundred thousand recorded hours together with millions
of feet of newsfilm and other film used to record television
programming. Accordingly, the Librarian recommended in his report
``Redefining Film Preservation: A National Plan'' (August 1994) that
the Library of Congress conduct a national study on the state of
preservation of American television and video materials within the
framework of the American Television and Radio Archives (ATRA)
legislation. The overall purpose of the study is to lay down a factual
foundation for understanding the issues and problems facing the
preservation of American television and video materials. To achieve
this understanding the study will identify past milestones, the size
and nature of holdings, anticipated growth, current policies and
practices of various institutions and organizations, concerns of
copyright owners and producers, applicable standards and technical
problems, and access needs for research and education. After analyzing
this information and consulting with the archival community, broadly
determined, the Librarian intends to issue a national plan aimed at:
(1) Coordinating the activities of archivists, copyright owners, and
others in the private and public sectors, helping to ensure that their
efforts are effective and complementary; (2) generating public
awareness of the value and vulnerability of television and video
materials; and (3) increasing the accessibility of television and video
materials for educational purposes.
The Librarian would appreciate comment and information from
individuals and organizations about the current state of American
television and video preservation, including their suggestions on how
the Library of Congress might best assist in coordinating a cooperative
preservation program.
The questions below, loosely divided for archival, industry, and
educational respondents, are only intended as suggestions to help them
frame their comments or responses.
[[Page 173]]
Archival
Institutional: What is the mission of your institution and how do
television or video materials relate to your mission? What appraisal
criteria are used in accepting materials for deposit? Does your
institution specialize in certain subjects? Do you plan to acquire
additional television or video materials?
Collections: What are your collecting policies? What are the size
and date span of the materials in your possession or custody? What are
the predominant formats? What are the major problems your institution
has encountered in managing or enlarging your holdings?
Preservation: How is television and video preservation defined in
your institution and what have been the major accomplishments (for
example, inspection or monitoring, reformatting, restorations, etc.)?
What institutional resources (fulltime staff, equipment, and funds) are
devoted to preservation? What portion is externally funded? Does your
institution provide reference service from the original or are
reference copies made? To what degree are outside laboratories or
vendors used? What are your quality assurance standards? How would you
describe your preservation priorities?
Information and Access: How much of the collection can be used by
researchers? Are reproductions available for sale or loan? What
measures are taken in your own access activities to protect the rights
of copyright owners? Is information about the holdings entered in a
database (if so, please describe the database)? Is the computerized
data available through the Internet or through a special link to users
outside the institution?
Storage Facilities: Under what physical conditions are originals,
masters, and reference copies stored (for example, temperature,
relative humidity, air filtration, fire protection, and security)?
Cataloging and Documentation: To what extent are the materials
cataloged and at what level (full or minimal)? What standards are
employed? What is the cataloging backlog? Are production files, shot
lists, or other relevant materials retained?
Industry
Corporate: What is the nature of your organization and how does the
production or acquisition of television and video materials relate to
your company's goals? Have you transferred or donated such materials to
an archives or library?
Collections: What are the size and date span of the television and
video materials in your possession? What are the predominant formats?
What is the estimated rate of growth in quantities? What are the major
problems you have encountered in managing television and video
materials. How do you decide what materials to collect?
Preservation: How is television and video preservation defined in
your organization and what have been the major accomplishments (for
example, inspection and monitoring, reformatting, and restoration)? If
reformatting has taken place, what format (or formats) was selected for
the new master? Can you identify significant losses of valuable
television and video materials? What organizational resources (fulltime
staff, equipment and funds) are currently devoted to preservation? What
criteria are used to determine preservation priorities? To what degree
are outside laboratories or vendors used? What are your quality
assurance standards? How would you describe your preservation
priorities?
Information and Access: To what degree are the television and video
materials in your custody described in hard copy or in a database?
Under what circumstances is information about your company's television
and video materials made available to outside individuals or
institutions? Under what circumstances are the television and video
materials in your possession made available for use by researchers
outside of your organization?
Copyright: Have you encountered problems in locating or copying
materials held by others for which you hold copyright? What new legal
incentives might encourage television and video preservation?
Storage Facilities: Under what physical conditions are originals,
masters, and reference copies stored (for example, temperature,
relative humidity, air filtration, fire protection, and security)?
Educational
Value: Can you describe the value of television and video materials
as a resource for research, teaching, audiovisual production, or other
educational use? What are the most important television and video
materials for your institution or for your individual research and
teaching? Have you identified items of historical significance no
longer extant?
Access: What problems have you encountered in locating and
accessing needed television and video materials?
Outreach: What are your suggestions on how the archival,
educational, and museum communities might foster greater public
awareness of the educational value of television and video materials
and their vulnerability to loss, damage, or deterioration?
Copies of all comments received will be available for public
inspection and copying between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, in room 336, James Madison Memorial Building,
Library of Congress, First and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC,
20540-4690.
Dated: December 26, 1995.
James H. Billington,
The Librarian of Congress.
[FR Doc. 96-52 Filed 1-2-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1410-34-P