From: owen (email suppressed)
Date: Mon Nov 12 2007 - 12:19:28 PST
It is great that some of the staff of The Donnell Media Center will
remain with the collection. But still, for the public, this change of
it's status and venue is very possibly, bad news.
The work may be much more difficult to view. Other "proper" research
collections and special collections at the NYPL require special
ACCESS cards and registration and some require appointments or like
the NYPL's Theatre On Film collection are "restricted for use by
theatre professionals, students, and researchers with a work- or
study-related reason to view."
Because there are 16mm film prints involved, I'll bet the "powers
that be" will want to protect the material or worse.
And artwork in a vault is not what the makers of these films intended
to make, I think. Leave the vaults to the MoMA. This would be a far
far cry from the Donnell Media Center's current mission, with it's
wonderful accessibility. That is what, I think, makes the Donnell
Media Center stand apart from any other source of art film. Keep your
eyes on the Donnell Media Center. Let them know you're watching. A
lot can happen in three years.
Owen Plotkin
On Nov 12, 2007, at 11:25 AM, J. Mabe wrote:
> I was quite worried about this news, so I did a little
> asking around, and I’ll post here the info I got.
>
> Basically, the collection and staff will continue on
> at a new location – somewhere where they’ll be
> considered a research collection instead of part of a
> branch (which I think is pretty good news). In the 3
> or 4 years between the time they become a research
> collection and the time they have to leave the current
> building, they will continue to provide service at a
> temporary spot not far from the current Donnell. They
> continue to get support from the library
> administration – so I guess the only things that are
> changing are the building and the films now being part
> of a proper research collection.
>
> (and for what’s it’s worth – I’ve heard nothing but
> terrible things about the building itself from
> multiple people – so maybe it’s all good news)
>
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