Benedict Olgado, Anthology Film Archives, Spring 2011, AMPAS
I had the pleasure of working and learning at Anthology Film Archives during the Spring of 2011. I was under the supervision of the then newly hired associate archivist Amy Jo Damitz who was truly a great mentor and colleague throughout the program. I primarily assisted in the day-to-day operations of the preservation department of the archive while also working on two particular projects:(1) the assessment of the Maya Deren collection and (2) the reorganization and management of the video vault. Throughout the internship I honed my skills in film handling as I processed, inspected, repaired and prepped prints and elements for storage, transport and projection. I handled film acquisition and loans while also assisting in database management and digitization activities. The main project I worked on was the assessment of the 170,000 feet worth of film elements that comprise the Maya Deren collection. The project output is a working inventory and database together with a proposed preservation plan. The other project I concentrated on was the physical and intellectual reorganization of Anthology's Video Collection. I rebuilt the collection's database while physically organizing thevault as well. Besides from these outputs, I submitted a report and a drafted a system on how to manage the collection.
