Mike Stetz, Mid-Atlantic Regional Moving Image Archive, Summer 2021
At my internship at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Moving Image Archive (MARMIA), I got a great first hand experience learning how to handle film and magnetic media, while also learning how a community-based archive is run. I was able to hone my skills splicing, inspecting, cataloging, and rehousing on a few film collections as they came in, and learned how a digitization workflow operates with regards to U-Matic and VHS tapes. I was also given a crash course in utilizing ArchiveSpace by performing bulk data uploads in order to make one of MARMIA's largest collection, the WJZ tapes, more accessible for those interested in researching local news in the Baltimore area. In addition to these hands-on skills, I learned how a non-profit archive is operated, focusing on accession of regional works, event planning for fundraising, organizing AV materials for long-term preservation, and donations of equipment used in both film and tape preservation.