[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