Digitizing History

If you are interested in digitizing moving pictures (e.g., movie films, videotapes, etc.), then you will be interested in this article. The article is about the work at the Packard Campus of the Library of Congress (LOC) National Audio-Visual Conservation Center. This...

structure contains a vast number of recordings preserved on a variety of media, and in an almost limitless number of formats including, film, tape, disc, wire and cylinder.

The physical size of the complex itself is staggering—it measures in at 415,000 square feet (that’s equivalent to more than seven football fields)—and contains literally millions of items. There are actually four building components: a collections storage building, conservation building, the “nitrate vaults” and a central plant.

Although it’s still a work in progress—10 years have passed since its inception—some areas are operational and additional ones are coming on line at regular intervals. It’s currently staffed with 60 government workers; a number that will more than double when all systems are installed and running.