Digitization | News

USC Digital Repository To Preserve Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Collection

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 02/27/14

The University of Southern California (USC) Digital Repository will manage and preserve 320 terabytes of audiovisual material created by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences over the last 50 years.

The collection includes footage of Academy Awards ceremonies and other events, as well as "digital restoration elements of film preservation projects," according to a news release.

"To preserve a collection of this depth and breadth demands technical expertise and infrastructure that matches the significance of the materials," said Sam Gustman, executive director of the USC Digital Repository, in a prepared statement. "I'm thrilled that the USC Digital Repository's digitization, preservation and access systems will manage these materials for the Academy."

A collaboration between the university's information technology services, Libraries and Shoah Foundation, the Digital Repository was chosen for the project because of its expertise in cataloguing materials and creation of metadata, high-performance networking and preservation infrastructure.

"From so many perspectives — the business of entertainment, cinema craft and technology, the history of the Academy itself — these collections are vital cultural materials," said Catherine Quinlan, dean of the USC Libraries, in a prepared statement. "USC is uniquely suited to preserve these collections that document the vast impact of the Academy in so many cultural, commercial and historical arenas."

More information about the repository is available at repository.usc.edu.