Kelly Haydon, Anthology Film Archives, Fall 2011
Anthology Film Archives is a forty-year old institution dedicated to programming and the preservation of new, classic, and avante-garde cinema. With 20,000 films in the vaults - more arriving each day - and the expectations of the public to be provided with some online access to materials at hand, the institution has taken the first steps towards the development of an online library to stream shorter works in the collection. While previous internships involved inventory, inspection, and writing condition reports on incoming film and video materials, the Summer/Fall 2011 internship is focused on testing and implementing the Collective Access database, a collection management software that will serve as both a tool for internal cataloging ad external access. My role is primarily that of a cataloger, but in these beginning stages I play an instrumental role in building the database from the ground up. I work closely with the archivists and consultants on developing the front-end of the database and contouring the data entry workflow in ways that best suits the institution's needs. I also serve as a liaison between the archivists and consultants while preparing for migration, creating crosswalks that guided the fields of 14 databases into those of Collective Access. In addition to coordinating the new system into place, I inspect film, assist the Digital Archivist in scanning efforts, and participate in daily runs to the vault as needed. Due to my status as a part-time student, Anthology and MIAP were able to arrange a special condition where I could work one day a week over a six month period in order to complete the hours required for a Fall internship.