Audiovisual Conservation Center at the Nashville Public Library - Preserving Rare and At-Risk Film

FAIN: PG-258545-18

Nashville Public Library Foundation (Nashville, TN 37219-2314)
Michael Lusk (Project Director: May 2017 to December 2017)
Carl Kenneth Fieth (Project Director: December 2017 to September 2019)

The purchase of preservation and archival supplies to rehouse a collection of 400 professional and amateur acetate films documenting life in Tennessee and the American Middle South.  Examples include footage of Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking at Fisk University after a bomb scare in 1960; recordings of students traveling to the Selma March in 1965; rare early color home movies of American soldiers in Europe and America during World War II; documentation of the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee; and footage of daily life, local culture, personal celebrations, travel, and regional architectural parks and landmarks.  The project’s activities are based on a 2016 Collections Assessment Report.

The Nashville Public Library collection contains over 5,500 analog audiovisual assets on formats ranging from 16mm film to video cassette and wire recording. This rich humanities collection provides an expansive look into the life, culture, and history of the American Middle South and beyond and spans a period of nearly 80 years. Highlights of the collection include early color footage of World War II; civil rights-era events, presidential visits, regional cultural events, and home movies documenting the culture of everyday life.
Funding will be used to improve the lifespan of 400 rare and content-rich films in the collection. The project fulfills recommendations from the 2016 Consultant's Report (funded by the Nashville Public Library Foundation). The grant supports the purchase of Image Permanence Institute A-D test strips, archival film storage cores, a storage freezer, and a project assistant. The project will be conducted by the consultant (now on staff) and assistant.

Associated Products

Film Preservation in the Metro Archives! (Blog Post)
Title: Film Preservation in the Metro Archives!
Author: Melanie Meents, Kelli Hix
Abstract: This blog post is the first in a series of posts that will document the progress of the NEH-funded project to conserve the film collection and improve the environmental storage in the collections area. This is the project introductory post.
Date: 09/15/2018
Primary URL: https://library.nashville.org/blog/2018/09/film-preservation-nashville-metro-archives
Primary URL Description: The link above directs the user to the introductory blog post.
Blog Title: Film Preservation in the Metro Archives! Introduction
Website: The Nashville Public Library

Film Preservation at Metro Archives: Practice Makes Perfect (Blog Post)
Title: Film Preservation at Metro Archives: Practice Makes Perfect
Author: Melanie Meents / Kelli Hix
Abstract: This is a post in the blog series covering the film conservation project. This post provides and update on the film inspection process and information about film conservation.
Date: 09/19/2018
Primary URL: https://library.nashville.org/blog/2018/09/film-preservation-metro-archives-practice-makes-perfect
Primary URL Description: Nashville Public Library Blog
Blog Title: Film Preservation at Metro Archives: Practice Makes Perfect
Website: Nashville Public Library Website

Film Preservation at Metro Archives: Prioritization (Blog Post)
Title: Film Preservation at Metro Archives: Prioritization
Author: Melanie Meents / Kelli Hix
Abstract: This post covers the importance of prioritizing the care for at-risk media collections.
Date: 09/21/2018
Primary URL: https://library.nashville.org/blog/2018/09/film-preservation-metro-archives-content-prioritization-and-healthy-environment
Primary URL Description: The blog of the Nashville Public Library
Blog Title: Film Preservation at Metro Archives: Prioritization
Website: Nashville Public Library Blog

Film Preservation in Metro Archives: New Equipment (Blog Post)
Title: Film Preservation in Metro Archives: New Equipment
Author: Melanie Meents, Kelli Hix
Abstract: This post describes the archive's new film inspection equipment.
Date: 09/23/2018
Primary URL: https://library.nashville.org/blog/2018/09/film-preservation-metro-archives-new-equipment
Primary URL Description: This URL leads to the blog post, Film Preservation in Metro Archives: New Equipment
Blog Title: Film Preservation in Metro Archives: New Equipment
Website: The Nashville Public Library Blog

Film Preservation in Metro Archives: James Kilgore Collection (Blog Post)
Title: Film Preservation in Metro Archives: James Kilgore Collection
Author: Melanie Meents
Abstract: This blog post covers the work that has been done on the James Kilgore Collection as a result of the NEH project. It covers some of the important film content identified durin gthe re-housing project.
Date: 12/09/2018
Primary URL: https://library.nashville.org/blog/2018/12/film-preservation-metro-archives-james-kilgore-collection
Primary URL Description: This URL leads to the blog post covering the James Kilgore Collection.
Blog Title: Film Preservation in Metro Archives: James Kilgore Collection
Website: Nashville Public Library Blog

Film Preservation at Metro Archives: A Day in the Life (Blog Post)
Title: Film Preservation at Metro Archives: A Day in the Life
Author: Melanie Meents
Abstract: This blog post covers the process of re-housing a film in the Metro Archives Collection.
Date: 11/23/2018
Primary URL: https://library.nashville.org/blog/2018/11/film-preservation-metro-archives-day-life
Primary URL Description: This URL links to the blog post, Film Preservation at Metro Archives: A Day in the Life
Blog Title: Film Preservation at Metro Archives: A Day in the Life
Website: Nashville Public Library

Film Preservation in the Metro Archives: Through the Loupe (Blog Post)
Title: Film Preservation in the Metro Archives: Through the Loupe
Author: Melanie Meents
Abstract: This is a blog post in the series of blog posts covering the work in the film inspection and re-housing project funded by the NEH. This post covers some of the most culturally significant collection items identified during the re-housing project, including footage of the Nashville Metro Airport and historic shots of the city's skyline.
Date: 01/25/2019
Primary URL: https://library.nashville.org/blog/2019/01/film-preservation-metro-archives-films-through-loupe
Primary URL Description: This URL links to the blog post, Film Preservation in the Metro Archives: Through the Loupe
Blog Title: Film Preservation in the Metro Archives: Through the Loupe
Website: Nashville Public Library Blog.

Metro Nashville Website Announcement (Web Resource)
Title: Metro Nashville Website Announcement
Author: Kelli Hix
Abstract: This website announcement alerts the public to the completion of the NEH project, Preserving Rare and At-Risk Film at Metro Nashville Archives Audiovisual Heritage Center. It provides links to films from the collection and information on accessing audiovisual resources from the collection.
Year: 2019
Primary URL: http://www.nashvillearchives.org/avcc.html
Primary URL Description: This URL links to the Metro Nasvhille Archive's Audiovisual Heritage Center page.

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