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(9) Films
Id. Libr. Rev. (1975) 7, 201-203
(9) Films E:. VELLACOTT
DEVELOPMENT
OF THE
COLLECTIONS
The lending collection has been developed in accordance with the established policy and the budget of $80 000 for general films and $40 000 for film study material. Increased emphasis has been placed on social content films (new society) etc, on environment, management and safety. Some large series on the history and techniques of the cinema and some films to replace worn-out prints have been purchased. The embassies of two overseas governments in Canberra, Brazil and U.S.S.R., have placed their film collections with the Library. The Library now services the film collections for 18 embassies, involving some 1500 prints. The outstanding development of the historical and film study ‘resources was the deposit by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation of 300 000 m of nitrate negative film. This included some 70 Fox feature films, mainly produced during the 194Os, as well as a number of short films, including travelogues, cartoons and documentaries, representative of the releases of the studio. The Library has the right to prepare positive prints for use on the premises. This deposit brings the total quantity of nitrate held in the Department of Supply storage at Sydney to 1 700 000 m. Of the $100 000 allocated for the historical collections some $30 000 has been spent on television materials; this represents an important new emphasis. The Monday Conference and Chequerboard series have been bought. The channel 7 news commentary Current Affair was acquired during the election period and negotiations to acquire This Day Tonight are still under way. Prints of the successful ABC production, Seven Little Australians, have been purchased for the film study and historical collections. All this material is bought as 16 mm film. The first of the new series of subject lists of films in the lending collection has been prepared. These listings will be widely circulated to borrowers to improve the accessibility of the collections. Because the
202
E.
VELLACOTT
catalogues of films acquired before 1968 have been out of print for some years, many of the earlier films are not being effectively used. A major reorganization of the film stills and poster collection (60 000 stills and 2000 posters) is underway following the appointment of the first film stills librarian in December. An officer has been engaged fulltime since January viewing the Cinesound-Movietone newsreels of 1930-50 being copied under the $200 000 agreement with the parent companies. He checks the quality of the print made for the Library and prepares some preliminary notes on the contents of the films. This copying project is now well established. The general preservation copying programme was strengthened in April by filling, for the first time, the technical supervisor position. This officer, who has considerable production as well as laboratory experience, is also President of the ACT Branch of the professional organization, Australian Cinematographers Society. Programmes to establish quality controls on the copying done for the Library by commercial laboratories and to maintain the physical condition of the Library’s national archive of Australian film and television production, will now be developed. There has been a considerable increase in both the number of films lent and in the percentage of requests satisfied. The number of films lent has increased by 20% (2650 a month to 3110) and the percentage of requests satisfied from 36 to 42%. This has partly been achieved by encouraging borrowers to request a film for the minimum period necessary and by introducing a loading in favour of the Library’s principal borrowers (tertiary education institutions, government and industry) over primary and secondary schools (whose basic needs are a responsibility of the state departments of education-this loading limits the period schools may book ahead of the screening date to 8 ,weeks). Further substantial improvements in the use of the film resources, and hence in the nation’s return on this central lending service, will be possible if transport times and in-house Library turn-around times (at present a standard four days within Australia and five days within the Library) can be reduced. A recent survey has shown that only about 50% of the screening reports that users are asked to complete are returned to the Library. These indicate that the statistical audience of the 18 650 films lent in the half year is 2.1 million, or an average of 110 per film. The material in the historical collections has received considerable attention despite the lack of any published guide or catalogue. Fifty-one requests for footage have been handled, including 31 from the ABC. The establishment of the Film and Television School and the increasing use of film in research
NATIONAL
LIBRARY
OF
AUSTRALIA
203
and teaching at universities and colleges of advanced education will no doubt lead to a heavy demand for improved availability of the total national resource. Public screenings in the Library’s theatre have been introduced on a regular basis, with two screenings at midday and one evening screening each week. Some 21 000 people have attended the 100 screenings held since January. Nine regular screenings of Library films were made at Parliament House for Senators and Members.
(9) Films E:. VELLACOTT
DEVELOPMENT
OF THE
COLLECTIONS
The lending collection has been developed in accordance with the established policy and the budget of $80 000 for general films and $40 000 for film study material. Increased emphasis has been placed on social content films (new society) etc, on environment, management and safety. Some large series on the history and techniques of the cinema and some films to replace worn-out prints have been purchased. The embassies of two overseas governments in Canberra, Brazil and U.S.S.R., have placed their film collections with the Library. The Library now services the film collections for 18 embassies, involving some 1500 prints. The outstanding development of the historical and film study ‘resources was the deposit by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation of 300 000 m of nitrate negative film. This included some 70 Fox feature films, mainly produced during the 194Os, as well as a number of short films, including travelogues, cartoons and documentaries, representative of the releases of the studio. The Library has the right to prepare positive prints for use on the premises. This deposit brings the total quantity of nitrate held in the Department of Supply storage at Sydney to 1 700 000 m. Of the $100 000 allocated for the historical collections some $30 000 has been spent on television materials; this represents an important new emphasis. The Monday Conference and Chequerboard series have been bought. The channel 7 news commentary Current Affair was acquired during the election period and negotiations to acquire This Day Tonight are still under way. Prints of the successful ABC production, Seven Little Australians, have been purchased for the film study and historical collections. All this material is bought as 16 mm film. The first of the new series of subject lists of films in the lending collection has been prepared. These listings will be widely circulated to borrowers to improve the accessibility of the collections. Because the
202
E.
VELLACOTT
catalogues of films acquired before 1968 have been out of print for some years, many of the earlier films are not being effectively used. A major reorganization of the film stills and poster collection (60 000 stills and 2000 posters) is underway following the appointment of the first film stills librarian in December. An officer has been engaged fulltime since January viewing the Cinesound-Movietone newsreels of 1930-50 being copied under the $200 000 agreement with the parent companies. He checks the quality of the print made for the Library and prepares some preliminary notes on the contents of the films. This copying project is now well established. The general preservation copying programme was strengthened in April by filling, for the first time, the technical supervisor position. This officer, who has considerable production as well as laboratory experience, is also President of the ACT Branch of the professional organization, Australian Cinematographers Society. Programmes to establish quality controls on the copying done for the Library by commercial laboratories and to maintain the physical condition of the Library’s national archive of Australian film and television production, will now be developed. There has been a considerable increase in both the number of films lent and in the percentage of requests satisfied. The number of films lent has increased by 20% (2650 a month to 3110) and the percentage of requests satisfied from 36 to 42%. This has partly been achieved by encouraging borrowers to request a film for the minimum period necessary and by introducing a loading in favour of the Library’s principal borrowers (tertiary education institutions, government and industry) over primary and secondary schools (whose basic needs are a responsibility of the state departments of education-this loading limits the period schools may book ahead of the screening date to 8 ,weeks). Further substantial improvements in the use of the film resources, and hence in the nation’s return on this central lending service, will be possible if transport times and in-house Library turn-around times (at present a standard four days within Australia and five days within the Library) can be reduced. A recent survey has shown that only about 50% of the screening reports that users are asked to complete are returned to the Library. These indicate that the statistical audience of the 18 650 films lent in the half year is 2.1 million, or an average of 110 per film. The material in the historical collections has received considerable attention despite the lack of any published guide or catalogue. Fifty-one requests for footage have been handled, including 31 from the ABC. The establishment of the Film and Television School and the increasing use of film in research
NATIONAL
LIBRARY
OF
AUSTRALIA
203
and teaching at universities and colleges of advanced education will no doubt lead to a heavy demand for improved availability of the total national resource. Public screenings in the Library’s theatre have been introduced on a regular basis, with two screenings at midday and one evening screening each week. Some 21 000 people have attended the 100 screenings held since January. Nine regular screenings of Library films were made at Parliament House for Senators and Members.