An introduction to AMMPT’s
16mm Film Library
by Keith Rutherford.
16mm Film Librarian for the Western Region
hile operating a film library was never anticipated nor
considered as one of AMMPT’s key objectives, the
opportunity to purchase an extensive film library has enabled
the association to service those who are committed to keep
the skills of 16mm film projection in front of younger
generations, with subject matter of diverse interest to capture
their imagination while they keep the craft alive.
The system we have devised for our region’s loan collection
is based on sound professional library principles and
practice. Our culling and disposal of unwanted stock system,
is of necessity, methodical, transparent, very thorough and
involves not only the library team but also the secretary and
the treasurer. All of the old State Film Library’s master data
base has been transferred to our own data base and is the
bedrock upon which our own accessioning and de-
accessioning system is conducted. The titles that we
designate as our loan library are entered into the AMMPT
Library database and titles rejected and sold are de-
accessioned from that database.
The film assessment process involves a physical examination
of each spool of film and a report sheet is filled in and signed
by the assessor and placed in the can with the film.
Approved prints are passed to the Librarian for entry and
rejected prints are passed to the disposal officer for further
sale preparation. The librarian enters the approved film titles
into the database aided by the enclosed assessment report
and the original State Library Film Catalogue summary. In
the database the Title is marked as either for “loan”, or as
“reserve backup”. The assessors report is kept on file.
Prints marked for disposal are double checked by the
disposals officer as sometimes a rejected print can be
successfully repaired and saved. The rejected stock is
transferred to older metal spools and cans so that AMMPT’s
Library loan films are gradually all transferred to preferred
Tuscan spools and to Tuscan cans. When sufficient numbers
are assembled to make up a “Recommended For Sale” list
they are stacked ready for despatch. The disposal officer
makes up the itemised list of rejected prints and gives the list
to our Secretary who in turn checks the titles against our
database, prepares the official “For Sale List”, publishes the
list and duplicates copies sufficient for the mail recipients
who are listed as interested member buyers. The duplicated
list is then handed to the sales officer for mail out sales and
despatch. The disposals officer and treasurer handle receipts
and electronic records.
The criteria variously considered for a members inclusion on
the “16mm Film Buyers List is:
•
In January 2010 the Perth based members of AMMPT
undertook the bold and daunting task of rescuing a very
large collection of 16mm film prints no longer required by
the State Library of Western Australia. It is my
understanding that the State library had previously carefully
gone through the prints to select anything of state historical
and political importance for transfer to the digital medium,
but there still remained three to four thousand titles in more
than five thousand cans that were not wanted. The national
AMMPT committee successfully tendered for the
consignment and hurriedly stored it in very temporary
accommodation.
Two years on a small band of dedicated members, who are
16mm film library enthusiasts, have been steadily inspecting
the rescued films for inclusion and culling any that do not
meet our criteria for retention. Those films that are
designated as “surplus to requirement” have been offered for
sale to our local members at a token ($2/print) price.
Those titles we have retained have been examined, repaired
where necessary, and installed in purpose built furniture as
our core Western Region loan
collection of AMMPT’s
National Film library. To
date the loan service has, of
necessity, only been available
to members of the Western
Region branch due to our
current inability to service the
logistics involved while our
own branch library team
volunteers are fully occupied
with the assessment, cull and
disposal process. The service
will be expanded when the
principles and logistics have
been thoroughly worked out between the branch librarians.
A member of the Western Region Branch,
•
a known 16mm film buff,
•
has access to 16mm projection equipment,
•
has proven 16mm projection skills,
has expressed an interest in receiving the “For
Sale” list.
Locally the list is always put in the post on a Friday. Then
there is a good chance that all recipients will receive the list
by Monday or Tuesday the following week. In this way the
recipients will have a roughly equal chance of contacting the
post and sales officer to purchase what they would like. The
intention of the entire process is to avoid any suggestion of
privileged access.
The first and most important point to be made is that the
criteria for prints to have been judged “surplus to
requirement” has been on the basis that the print was badly
colour deteriorated &/or physically and mechanically
damaged beyond simple repair. Secondly films are rejected
on inappropriate or irrelevant content to AMMPT’s interests
and principles. For example the titles “Erythroblastosis” and
the “Holgernielsen Resucitation Method” are regarded as
both totally irrelevant and in the second case obsolete.
The question that arises is who decides what is “relevant
content”? The only fair way to go about this subjective
process is to work as a team with the members representing a
broad spectrum of interest and experience from film buffs to
educators to students of media. We are indeed fortunate to
have that breadth and we constantly refer any doubts we
have in our individual assessments to other members of the
team.
In order to undertake any national extension of the sales
system, all branches would have to subscribe to an equitable
and mutually acceptable notification system. All the
branches members would variously respond to a locally or
centrally acceptable officer with their purchase requests.
Such a service will require a clearly defined and workable
despatch system. Volunteer despatch officers in each branch
would work to mutually agreed rules. Details of despatch,
receipt of payments, postage and courier costs would all
need to be set in place. Any such national loan and sales
system between the members of the branches can really only
be done on a reciprocal basis and that would entail all the
branch librarians collectively thrashing out the principles and
the details when they are ready to do so.
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