University of South Carolina Libraries
jjr imk . -f? k ,m*M&-'H- jgl jumm The University of Ceni South Carolina Pi received what is to i thought to be the hist< largest corporate gift on i in Amrican history Mo\ when Twentieth mo\ Century-Fox presented real Carolina with the the ] Movietonews library of $172 newsreel films. to i But the estimated Sou $100 million monetary The value value of the Libi collection is small compared to the title educational value of Edi fho rfiff tliv ^llt. &iai Movietonews came- desi ramen roamed the an world from 1919 to 1963 caU recording on film coll everything from D fashions and fads of san fads of the period to the t r a bombing of Pearl cat; Harbor. Important put< events and people of alio the period are pun recorded in great wor detail. As such, the whi film is a priceless a li record of early to mid thai 20th Century history T and promises a Mo^ bonanza of new in- like formation for scholars. s i n VERY LITTLE of pre the film actually made der its way into American sai theatres in thp hi- T - ? ?- --- JL V#\J weekly Movietonews libr newsreels. Most of it, * some 90 per cent is ma outtakes - film that fed< has not been viewed Stn since it was shot. Study rch of the outtakes and the Th newsreel may cast new Lib light on the 20th firs gM""*. A IMi^ ^ ? V1 ury history, ish button access the 20th Century >ry captured live nillions of feet of ietonews film has red a step closer to ity with the with presentation of of a ,000 federal grant the University of ith Carolina >mas Cooper 'ary. warded through the ! II-C of the Higher ication Act, the nt will be used to ign and implement on-line computer 4-/\ tr% nf UUg IU LUC VdSl ection. esigned along the le lines as a ditional card alog, the comprized system will w researchers to ch key subject ds into a computer, ch will then supply ist of reels where t subject appears, he cataloging of the vietone collection is >lv fhn larrtocf /i j t?iv mi v gle cataloging >ject ever untaken by a library, d Kenneth E. imbs, director of aries at USC. THE GRANT is de under the eral program for sngthening ReseaLibraries, and the omas Cooper rary at USC is the t single university metomvj Of Our H library in the Southeastern United States to receive a grant under the program," he said. Competition for the 30 or so % grants awarded through the program this year was stiff, Toombs said, and At- !? ? i - me awarding or one w USC "signifies national recognition of the importance of the Movietone collection and a respect for the university and its abilities." Work on the cataloging process, which Toombs estimates will take about 10 years, already has begun at USC. University cataloging experts and computer specialists teamed ud to design a JL " cataloging process which would meet the needs of Movietone users and be compatible with the university's computer system. They studied methods of the Library of Congress, National Archives, National Film Board of Canada, News libraries at ABC, NBC, CBS and United Press International and Oenree Washington and Vanderbilt Universities. The system the USC experts developed is currently being tested and will be further . , , m... v improved through the purchase of a computer software package with grant funds. "The grant will enable us to greatly ..accelerate the cataloging process,'' Toombs said. "Through the federal funds we were able to provide a staff for a year to initiate the cataloging process and to purchase computer equipment and software to enable the library to bring the system into full opera tion.M STEP ONE in the cataloging process is determining exactly what is on the various reels of Movietonews film. The film, which is being shipped from Twentieth CenturyFox's New York storehouse at regular M % A 1 intervals, comes wiin a content list compiled by a USC staffer who views the film prior to shipment. Also, any subject cards compiled by Twentieth CenturyFox or "dope sheets'* written by the cameramen who actually shot the film are included in the shipment. For the 300,000 news stories included in the collection, such in# A 11* t tormation is relatively complete, but the ("i } I v J \ f outtake film has not been viewed since it w.as shot nor itemized by content. Here subject information is sketchy and the cataloger's job is extremely difficult. Then, too, there is the vast size of the collection. More than 60 million feet of film was shot. The size of the collection and Hs subject scope make it a "living history" of one of mankind's most turbulent periods. PRESERVED on the film, for example, is the evolution of the airplane. Movietonews film shows humanity's first cautious attempts at flight with a wingstrapped man jumping ott a Douicier ana goes on to complete the story with footage of early space launches, including the Russian Sputnik. The history of the automobile, fashions, fads and two world wars are equally complete in the collection. Through the cataloging process, the university will make tu- iL- t iiiib living insiury available to both the present and future generations, Toombs said. Scholars from around the world are expected to view the collection and study it if il mam y for the new insights into 20th Century history it will render. Outtakes showing President Franklin d. Roosevelt and his disabilities from polio has already been discovered. "This film showing his disabilities was never shown to the public," Toombs said. "New insights into his 1 ? a i i personality win probably come from this part of his life, which was very private." USC AND other students also will make use of the film in the future with professors and teachers using the footage in class. But educators aren't the only ones anxious to have increased access to to the collection. Commercial and educational film producers and television networks have a steady need for footage from the collection for documentaries and other work. All the World War II footage used in the movie "Patton" for example, comes from the collection.