Introductory Reference Materials
- Film Archives Reference Entry
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Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film reference entry for archives. Includes a brief history of moving image archives and relevant bibliography. - Sound Archives Reference Entry
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Oxford University Press reference entry regarding repositories for recorded sound data produced or received by public or private entities. Includes a brief history of sound archives, as well as a list of institutions organized by country. - Online Archive of CaliforniaThe Online Archive of California (OAC) provides free public access to detailed descriptions of primary resource collections maintained by more than 300 contributing institutions including libraries, special collections, archives, historical societies, and museums throughout California and collections maintained by the 10 University of California (UC) campuses.
- Glossary of Archival and Records TerminologyFrom the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and includes a Dictionary of Archives Terminology.
- Archive GridArchiveGrid includes over 7 million records describing archival materials. ArchiveGrid helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives and other information institutions.
- Guidelines for Media Resources in Academic Libraries (ACRL, 2018)These guidelines were prepared by members of the Guidelines for Media Resources for Academic Libraries in Higher Education Task Force of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).
- IFLA Guidelines for Audiovisual and Multimedia Materials in LibrariesInternational Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Manual.
- National Film Preservation Board: Library of CongressEstablished by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, the National Film Preservation Board works to ensure the survival, conservation and increased public availability of America's film heritage. Includes the Complete National Film Registry Listing and Preservation Research.
- Preserving Theatrical Legacy: An Archiving Manual for Theatre CompaniesThrough its publications and training programs, the American Theatre Archive Project (ATAP) aims to help theatre companies develop an archival sensibility that saves time and money while preserving and making accessible records of theatrical process and product.
- FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals
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- IMDBAn online database of information related to films and other media.
- Library of Congress Finding AidAlso includes the LOC Catalog and Controlled Vocabularies.
- UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive CatalogTo search specific holdings in the Ethnomusicology Archive, please utilize the "Location" filter on the left column after completing a search.
- UCLA Film & Television Archive CatalogMotion pictures (silent era, classic Hollywood, independent cinema, LGBT collections, documentaries and newsreels, animated cartoons, foreign and contemporary American films), television (American telecasting from 1945 to date), and news and public affairs programs (1950 to date).
Significant Institutions and Repositories
The following list includes archive and library institutions with moving image and sound collections. The list is not meant to be exhaustive, but a selected representation of significant institutions in the field, particularly in the United States.
- Academy Film Archive"Dedicated to the preservation, restoration, documentation, exhibition and study of motion pictures, the Academy Film Archive is home to one of the most diverse and extensive motion picture collections in the world."
- AFI ArchiveThe AFI Archive collects and preserves the heritage of the American Film Institute, filmmakers and the art of motion pictures. Housed in the Louis B. Mayer Library, the Archive comprises over 50 years of rare and unique materials from across the history of cinema and television. The Audio & Video Collection is composed of recordings of Conservatory seminars and events, oral histories and interviews with individuals across all aspects of filmmaking.
- American Genre Film Archive (AGFA)Formed in 2009, the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) is a non-profit located in Austin, Texas. AGFA exists to preserve the legacy of genre movies through collection, conservation, and distribution.
- Anthology Film ArchivesAnthology Film Archives is an international center for the preservation, study, and exhibition of film and video, with a particular focus on independent, experimental, and avant-garde cinema.
- ARChive of Contemporary MusicThe ARChive of Contemporary Music (ARC) is a not-for-profit archive, music library and research center located in New York since 1985. ARC contains more than three million sound recordings.
- British Film Institute (BFI)"The BFI looks after one of the largest and most important collections of film and television in the world. Its teams of experts ensure that the collection is preserved and developed for future generations and made widely accessible to today’s audiences."
- British Library Sound and Moving ImageIncludes collection guides to the British Library holdings, as well as the Sounds website with select digitized recordings.
- Endpoint Audio LabFounded by an UCLA alum, Endpoint Audio Lab preserves sound through engineering, restoration, and research. They are not interested in just capturing audio content, but also capturing it with the fidelity needed to reach people today.
- George Eastman MuseumThe George Eastman Museum is the world’s oldest photography museum and one of the oldest film archives.The institution is also a longtime leader in film preservation and photographic conservation.
- Harvard Film ArchiveA division of Harvard Library, the Harvard Film Archive is dedicated to the collection, preservation and exhibition of film. It maintains an extensive archive of over 40,000 motion picture prints, audiovisual elements and ephemera from around the world and from almost every period in film history.
- HMH Moving Image ArchiveThe Hugh M. Hefner Moving Image Archive is an audiovisual archive located on the campus of University of Southern California.
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Film DepartmentFounded in 1935 as the Film Library, this department’s collection now includes more than 30,000 films and 1.5 million film stills; the strongest international film collection in the United States, it incorporates all periods and genres
- Museum of Obsolete MediaA unique online museum of physical media formats showcasing developments in audio, video, film and data storage. Includes a timeline of media by date of obsolescence with reference entries for the media object, as well as an Audio Media Timeline and Film Media Timeline
- Museum of the Moving Image (MoMi)"The Museum’s mission is to advance the understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media."
- National Archive Moving Image and Sound Holdings (NARA)"The National Archives is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and providing access to the permanent records of the federal government.
The Moving Image and Sound holdings in College Park, Maryland, are vast and diverse, spanning film reels, sound recordings, and video recordings." - UCLA AvalonThe Music Library uses Avalon to provide access to streaming audio and video collections for the Library. Some content is only available when you sign in. Sign in with your UCLA authentication for use both on and off campus. Avalon currently holds thousands of recordings from the Music Library, Arts Library, East Asian Library and Young Research Library.
- UCLA Ethnomusicology ArchiveEstablished in 1961, the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive is a world-renowned research archive dedicated to the study of musical traditions from around the globe. The Archive’s collection of more than 150,000 audio, video, print, and photographic items documents musical expressions throughout the world and includes unique field recordings as well as rare commercial recordings.
- UCLA Film and Television ArchiveThe UCLA Film & Television Archive is renowned for its pioneering efforts to rescue, preserve and showcase moving image media, and is dedicated to ensuring that the collective visual memory of our time is explored and enjoyed for generations to come. Established in 1965, the Archive is the second-largest repository of motion pictures and broadcast programming in the United States, after the Library of Congress, and the world's largest university-held collection.
- UCLA Library Preservation & Conservation DepartmentThe UCLA Library Preservation & Conservation Department provides expert care to library materials so they are accessible now and into the future. Our AV Preservation team works collaboratively with library-wide partners to care for and provide access to our rich audiovisual heritage on analog moving image and sound formats.
- UCSB Cylinder Audio ArchiveThe UCSB Library has created a digital collection of more than 10,000 cylinder recordings held by the UCSB Library. To bring these recordings to a wider audience, the Library makes them available to download or stream online for free.
- Video Game History FoundationThe Video Game History Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and teaching the history of video games.
- American Folklife CenterIt is America's first national archive of traditional life, and one of the oldest and largest of such repositories in the world. Includes the Ancestral Voices Collection, which utilizes emerging digital technologies and innovative approaches to address issues in preservation, co-curation, cultural representation, and intellectual access that are of critical concern for both cultural communities and archival repositories. The project seeks to mutually benefit both tribal members and the Library of Congress.
- Bay Area Video CoalitionBAVC Media (Bay Area Video Coalition) is an evolving coalition of passionate creators, activists, independent makers of all mediums and everyday people, effecting change one story at a time. . BAVC Media works to preserve and digitize these cultural artifacts and other precious works of media art. Since 1994, BAVC Media has preserved over 7,000 hours of audio and videotape.
- Center for Home MoviesThe Center for Home Movies advocates the preservation of films within the household. Explore to gain a greater understanding of the potential historical and cultural value of your home movies, as well as guidance for caring for them and options for having them transferred to more easily-viewable modern formats.
- The Great 78s ProjectThe Great 78 Project is a community project for the preservation, research and discovery of 78rpm records. Started by many volunteer collectors, these new collections have been selected, digitized and preserved by the Internet Archive, George Blood LP, and the Archive of Contemporary Music.
- Memory Lab NetworkThe Memory Lab Network was created to help individuals and communities across the United States to preserve their recorded memories for the future.
- Roaming Center for Magnetic Alternatives (RCMA)The Roaming Center for Magnetic Alternatives (RCMA) is an ad hoc mobile media and research center exploring the correlation between queer history and a medium on the edge of obsolescence. Traveling across Mid-America, they transform everything from strip malls and lecture halls into media centers for outlying and underrepresented LGBTQ+ populations. RCMA provides free videotape digitization, film screenings, videography equipment access, and more.
- XFR CollectiveXFR Collective partners with artists, activists, and community organizations to lower the barriers to preserving at-risk audiovisual media – especially unseen, unheard, or marginalized works – through digitization, screenings, educational workshops, and pop-up events. Operating through a non-hierarchical model, we work to create an inclusive environment in which to explore practical methods for media preservation, archiving, and access.