Journal of Film Preservation - FIAF

19 As early as 1980 (in the first edition
of their handbook), Eileen Bowser and
her colleagues emphasized, with reference
to the non-film collection, the need
for archives to fix their opening hours
according to the requirements of their
visitors. This also holds for the collection
of films. See Bowser / Kuiper, p. 147.
In preparation for consultation, the condition of prints is carefully
checked: are the perforations intact, do all the splices hold, etc.? This
both protects the material itself and allows the viewing session to proceed
without interruption. In retrospect the archive can thus also ascertain
whether the user has caused any damage to the print and charge
him or her accordingly.
Now briefly to the opening hours. The archive staff usually work fixed
hours, which means that consultations are only possible at particular
times. 19 To leave time for their other duties some archives limit their
public opening hours to the morning or afternoon. This creates periods
free from interruption during which they can do the research necessary
to reply to enquiries and supplement the catalogue, etc.; in other words,
carry out work which, in the end, benefits the user. Certain groups,
however, (e.g., colleagues from other (FIAF) archives, members of the
society for friends of the archive) are often granted access even during
these periods.
4. Technical Facilities
The archive usually offers the visitor several ways of viewing its films.
However, it also makes a decision about which visitors may use which
equipment and material, based upon several factors:
- the kind of research the individual is doing and his or her professional
qualifications
- his or her financial resources
- the archive’s policy
a. Type of Research and Professional Qualifications
Depending, of course, on the actual nature of their research, students
and teaching staff are often offered the use of a tape deck, whereas more
appropriate formats are made available to more senior historians, and in
some cases television personnel and filmmakers. This should not be read
as a two-tier system: tape decks may be more representative of the needs
of certain users, whereas viewing tables and projection conform more
closely to the demands of the others.
b. Financial Resources
Fees may depend on :
- the use of equipment (video, viewing table, projection room)
- the user’s profile (students, researchers, industry professionals, such as
television or advertising staff)
- the benefit for the archive if research appears to be useful for the
archive itself (identification, programming, etc.)
c. Archival Policy
The survey carried out by the Programming Commission revealed that
80 percent of the institutions involved have started using some form of
26 Journal of Film Preservation / 55 / 1997