Ari Greenberg, National Audio-Visual Conservation Center (NAVCC), Library of Congress, Summer 2018
I spent ten weeks working as a MIAP intern on the John E. Allen collection of nitrate film elements housed at the Library of Congress (NAVCC) in Culpeper, Virginia. Under the supervision of Mike Mashon, I spent the bulk of my time inspecting and accessioning elements in the Allen collection; towards the end of my time, I supplemented this work with training in digital reformatting and color restoration in the NAVCC’s restoration labs. The typical workflow: 1) retrieve not-yet-accessioned items from the vaults housing the Allen collection; 2) inspect these items for physical condition and, if necessary and where possible, content; 3) mark retained items with the appropriate technical code for eventual entry in MAVIS (Merged Audio-Visual Information System); 4) create a MAVIS holding record for the item, and finally 5) print out and affix a new sticker label to the item, ensuring physical as well as intellectual control. Cataloging, inspection, accessioning and deaccessioning, facilitating access, reformatting—I come away from NAVCC having strengthened all of these skillsets.
Ari Greenberg interned at the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center (NAVCC), Library of Congress, in Summer 2018.
