Sci-Tech Council Links with the Library of Congress to Preserve Creative America

Beverly Hills, CA (RUSHPRNEWS) August 7, 2007— The Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has entered into a three-year collaborative partnership with the Library of Congress’ “Preserving Creative America,” a program designed to collect, manage and preserve digital content, including motion pictures, for future generations.

The Library of Congress, through its National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP), will provide matching funds toward the Academy’s pioneering efforts in the preservation of digital motion picture content. The Academy is one of eight private sector organizations selected to participate in “Preserving Creative America.”

Unlike film elements that have been proven to last for more than a century, digital storage technologies used in creating today’s motion picture elements become obsolete in as little as three to five years.

“We’ve arrived at a point in our motion picture history where preserving digital content is as important as preserving our old Hollywood treasures,” said Academy President Sid Ganis. “That’s why the Academy is committed to supporting the development of archival technologies and practices that will take us through the 21st century.”

The Council’s Digital Motion Picture Archive Framework Project will build on the Academy’s current research on digital preservation issues and help define the technologies and standards necessary to preserve digitally mastered and “born digital” motion pictures. The project will develop specifications for digital file formats, provide support for industry-wide research on promising technologies and practices, and create educational materials on digital archive requirements, software application guides and online resources.
“The Library of Congress is delighted to welcome the Academy to its growing network of NDIIPP partners,” said Associate Librarian for Strategic Initiatives Laura E. Campbell, who is leading NDIIPP for the Library of Congress. “We respect the Academy’s early contributions to motion picture technology and know that its Science and Technology Council is ideally placed to contribute to the development of preservation standards.”

The Council’s work involves more than 100 of the industry’s leading technologists who represent major movie studios, technology and service providers, not-for-profit archives and independent filmmakers.
“Preserving Creative America” is the most recent initiative of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program at the Library of Congress, authorized by the U.S. Congress in December 2000. The authorizing legislation specifically asked the Library to enlist the private sector to help address the long-term preservation of digital content. The “Preserving Creative America” projects will target preservation issues across a broad range of creative works, including digital photographs, cartoons, motion pictures, sound recordings, and even video games, and will be conducted by a combination of content industry trade associations, private sector companies and non-profits, and cultural heritage institutions.

Information on NDIIPP can be found at www.digitalpreservation.gov.

Established in 2003 by the Academy’s Board of Governors, the Science and Technology Council provides a forum for the exchange of information, promotes cooperation among diverse technological interests within the industry, sponsors publications, fosters educational activities and preserves the history of science and technology of motion pictures.
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