DOCSLIB.ORG

The Wgbh Media Library and Archives Assessment for Scholarly Use

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Wgbh Media Library and Archives Assessment for Scholarly Use THE WGBH MEDIA LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES ASSESSMENT FOR SCHOLARLY USE FUNDED BY THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION December 31, 2007 Principle Investigators Karen Cariani Mary Ide Project Archivists Stephen Kharfen Barbara Macleod Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary ................................................................................................................1 2. Introduction ............................................................................................................................4 3. Process and Procedures ...........................................................................................................6 4. Dimensions of the Assessment ..............................................................................................16 5. Television Series...................................................................................................................18 6. Television Stand-Alone Programs .........................................................................................36 7. Radio Series..........................................................................................................................44 8. WGBH Forum Network........................................................................................................53 9. Preservation Activities...............................................................................................................54 10. Case Studies........................................................................................................................55 11. Evaluation Experiences and the Assessment Tool as a Model..............................................60 12. Conclusions ........................................................................................................................62 Appendices A. Glossary of Terms................................................................................................................67 B. Sample Assessment Tool Records .......................................................................................71 C. Advisory Groups.......................................................................................................................84 D. Sample MARS Database Records ........................................................................................86 E. Policies and Procedures ........................................................................................................91 F. Numerical Scoring System..................................................................................................100 G. Status of Audio-Visual Formats .........................................................................................101 H. Data Summary, Television Series by Decade......................................................................102 I. Data Summary, Television Series by MERLOT......................……………............................106 J. Top Tier WGBH Programs…………………………………………………………………..109 K. Data Summary, Television Stand-Alones by Decade..........................................................110 L. Data Summary, Television Stand-Alones by MERLOT ......................................................114 M. Data Summary, Radio Series by Decade............................................................................117 N. Data Summary, Radio Series by MERLOT…………………………………………………121 O. Preservation Title List……………………………………………………………………….123 Acknowledgements We want to express our gratitude to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for making this project possible. Our deepest appreciation also goes to all those at WGBH who contributed to it: Fred Barzyk Jordan Berson Karen Colbron Nancy Dillon Jennie Hendrickson Keith Luf Christopher McNeice Jeff Nelson Peter Pinch Paul Plutnicki Ronn Smith Jon Solins Leah Weisse Cynthia Zollinger We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the Assessment and Faculty Advisor Groups for their involvement in this project. 1. Executive Summary The WGBH Media Library and Archives (MLA) Assessment for Scholarly Use project was designed to achieve two goals: to determine the educational value of WGBH’s extensive archival collection for higher education research and instruction, and to accomplish this by designing an assessment instrument for surveying audio-visual collections that could be shared with other institutions. At the start of this project, the MLA housed approximately 29,000 programs with 570,000 related production elements and documents, numbers that suggest both the potential worth of this collection to the academic community and the complexity of evaluating its educational value. The study approached this challenge by (1) creating a framework and tool for collecting information about the archived programs, (2) assembling a detailed composite portrait of the archival collection, and (3) modeling potential approaches to analyzing and employing the data compiled through this work. This process has enabled WGBH to identify the depth of materials associated with each title and track the remarkable range of academic subjects and interests reflected through over fifty years of broadcast programming. The growth of the MLA collection has been strongly shaped by WGBH’s organizational, production, and technological history. WGBH was founded in 1951, and consequently archived programs extend back into the 1950s. Unfortunately a fire in 1961 devastated WGBH’s holdings of programs and documents, destroying much of this early history. While the introduction of videotape increased the potential for storing programs and production elements, in keeping with industry practice WGBH erased many of these programs because reusing videotape was cost effective. However, archival and preservation principles and practices were implemented over time and were institutionalized with the formal establishment of the WGBH Archives in 1979, the first public television archival collection that adhered to professional principles and standards. WGBH’s archive now holds over half a million assets. In order to present a detailed picture of the MLA collection, project staff first sorted the materials for assessment according to the following categories: (1) by media (television, radio, and Web); (2) by the program categories of stand-alone (i.e. programs completed in a single production) and series (including limited series productions and titles produced on an ongoing basis); (3) by decade of creation; and (4) by major subject discipline. This process of differentiation is based on the fact that the assessment tool scores elements that may be rare in one category but common in another. For example, few audio-visual and documentation elements survive from the 1950s, whereas thousands are produced for many programs today. Similarly, radio production does not result in the same quantity of associated audio-visual and documentation elements as television does. By employing such divisions, the project staff worked to ensure that programs with educational value would not be overlooked. Similarly, sorting by topic area allows programs to be viewed within their own specific subject area contexts. It would challenge logic to compare music and history programs that have been produced using different production strategies and methods, nor would it make sense to rank subject areas against one another. After identifying and categorizing the master programs and production elements, MLA staff employed the assessment tool to collect the information necessary to determine educational value. The assessment tool is comprised of thirty-two questions, and is contained within a database created to serve both as the survey instrument and the data repository. Each program’s WGBH MLA Assessment for Scholarly Use 1 educational value is derived from four key factors: physical access (composed of media and production documentation assets), intellectual access (reflecting the quality of the program’s pre- existing metadata), rights information (including the documentation available about the use of the program and its component assets), and content information (including evaluations of the program’s significance and reception, as well as additional attributes such as target audience, personal names, and chronological focus). Because this project aimed to assess the archive for the purposes of higher education online use, it was particularly key to categorize content according to academic discipline whenever possible. Consequently, the assessment tool also employs a taxonomy developed by Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT; www.merlot.org), a free and open peer-reviewed online resource for higher education learning materials supported by major colleges, universities, and statewide higher education systems. MERLOT categorizes content in seven disciplines (Arts, Business, Education, Humanities, Mathematics and Statistics, Science and Technology, and Social Sciences) as well as fifty-four subject areas within these disciplines (for example, Biology, History, and Music). Additional, more specific content categories are provided by Library of Congress subject headings. As a result of these classification systems, the assessment tool sorts and identifies titles within the framework of higher education. A numerical system scores titles based on quantifiable data elements, and the assessment’s database structure allows users to cross-reference criteria such as date, subject matter, or academic discipline to tailor ranked
Load more

Recommended publications
  • BC Fulton Hall of Fame
    Dear Fultonians, The Fultonian for Summer 2019 was mailed on July 12, 2019 and contained a completely unexpected honor for me as I learned that I had been inducted into the Hall of Fame as a representative of the Golden Age of Fulton Debate. It came at a perfect time for me to immediately show it to my brother Kevin, who had entered BC in 1967 and co-chaired the Fulton High School Debate Tournament in 1968. It also came at a perfect time in the history of Boston College, since the Boston College Magazine had just announced that the archive of issues from 100 years of The Heights has been made available on the internet. So I was able to browse my life at BC and recall my time as a Fultonian. I realize that your march through the decades made me one of the first honorees with an opportunity to thank you for the honor. Accordingly, I feel the obligation to recount my journey to this honor with the help of pictures and the thousands of words they merit. I was in the vortex of the Golden Age, because it didn’t begin with me and it didn’t end with me. My entrance to the Fulton certainly did not presage such an honor, based on my high school record as a member of the Behrens Debate Society of Canisius High School. I certainly couldn’t have been described as a “former all-state debater from Illinois” as Charlie Lawson, CBA ’70 was in 1967. The only debate tournament I won in high school occurred on Nov.
    [Show full text]
  • “A Sturdy Core of Thinking, Fact Seeking Citizens”: the Open Forum Movement and Public Learning in Terre Haute and Hammond, Indiana, in the 1920S
    “A Sturdy Core of Thinking, Fact Seeking Citizens”: The Open Forum Movement and Public Learning in Terre Haute and Hammond, Indiana, in the 1920s Arthur S. Meyers” In Sinclair Lewis’s fictional Zenith, Ohio, in 1920, George Babbitt complained to his wife that their daughter and her beau were “trudging off to lectures by authors and Hindu philosophers and Swedish lieutenants.” Lewis was describing an actual phenomenon taking place in several hundred industrial cities, including at least four in Indiana. The Open Forum lecture movement was remarkable: a locally planned, non-partisan, non-sectarian initiative in public learning, reaching thousands of people around the country. Expanding beyond the Chautauqua lecture movement in topics and locale, it brought a wide range of people together to discuss the vital concerns and intellectual advances of the day and to consider the core beliefs and values in their lives.’ Although the Open Forum has faded from history, it was a model of social commitment, public learning, and freedom of speech that took root not only in metropolitan areas but also in small cities in the Midwest. The story of the movement in Terre Haute and Hammond in the 1920s provides fresh insight into Indiana’s history, revealing a previously unknown interest in the ideas of liberal reformers and support for public learning, and documenting the social activism of a minister and rabbi. It also suggests that other smaller urban communities of the Midwest were less provincial and more politically varied than most accounts of the era suggest. The Open Forum is best understood in both religious and political terms.
    [Show full text]
  • Collection of Television Press Kits, 1958, Ca
    http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c87082fc No online items Finding Aid for the Collection of television press kits, 1958, ca. 1974-ca. 2004 Finding aid prepared by Arts Special Collections staff; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé. UCLA Library Special Collections Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library Box 951575 Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1575 (310) 825-4988 [email protected] © 2012 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Finding Aid for the Collection of 1908 1 television press kits, 1958, ca. 1974-ca. 2004 Title: Collection of television press kits Collection number: 1908 Contributing Institution: UCLA Library Special Collections Language of Material: English Physical Description: 9.5 linear ft.(19 boxes and 1 flat box.) Date (inclusive): 1958, ca. 1974-2004 Abstract: This collections documents a variety of television show genres broadcast on networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC, HBO, PBS, SHOWTIME, and TNT. Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information. Restrictions on Access Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the caollection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information. Restrictions on Use and Reproduction Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
    [Show full text]
  • The Importance of Hands-On, In-Person Education (Going Against the Online Grain) by Steve M
    The Importance Of Hands-On, In-Person Education (Going Against the Online Grain) by Steve M. Clark, Cr.Photog., CPP July 30, 2018 Thesis submission for the ASP Educational Associate Degree (EA-ASP) American Society of Photographers (ASP) clark !1 Introduction To learn anything, before the days of the Internet, one had to go to school, the library, buy books, or buy/rent video tapes. However, in-person training was the only option for learning a trade. This meant attending a class or series of classes where the human senses played a major role in gaining understanding. Chefs learned to use their noses to determine freshness; mechanics learned to use their eyes and sense of touch when making repairs; carpenters and cabinet makers learned to use their eyes, noses, and sense of touch when working with wood. Now that the Internet is so pervasive in our lives, it has become the go-to place for any kind of information, instruction, and entertainment. While it is convenient and is a good place to start, in my opinion, it is causing us to lose the skills and attention to detail that allow you to be called a Master Craftsman or Master Tradesman. The Internet has indeed had a significant impact on education in general. You can now earn certificates, diplomas, degrees, and certifications via the Internet in just about any field. Having been raised in the era of going to brick-and-mortar institutions this author views the Internet a little differently: as a research tool, not as a learning tool. In college I earned the Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.
    [Show full text]
  • Ford Hall Forum Collection (MS113), 1908-2013: a Finding Aid
    Ford Hall Forum Collection 1908-2013 (MS113) Finding Aid Moakley Archive and Institute www.suffolk.edu/moakley [email protected] Ford Hall Forum Collection (MS113), 1908-2013: A Finding Aid Descriptive Summary Repository: Moakley Archive and Institute, Suffolk University, Boston MA Collection Number: MS 113 Creator: Ford Hall Forum Title: Ford Hall Forum Collection Date(s): 1908-2013, 1930-2000 Quantity: 85 boxes, 41 cubic ft., 39 lin. ft. Preferred Citation: Ford Hall Forum Collection (MS 113), 1908-2013, Moakley Archive and Institute, Suffolk University, Boston, MA. Abstract: The Ford Hall Forum Collection documents the history of the nation’s longest running free public lecture series. The Forum has hosted some the most notable figures in the arts, science, politics, and the humanities since its founding in 1908. The collection, which spans from 1908 to 2013, includes of 85 boxes of materials related to the Forum's administration, lectures, fund raising, partnerships, and its radio program, the New American Gazette. Administrative Information Acquisition Information: Ownership transferred to Suffolk University in 2014. Use Restrictions: Use of materials may be restricted based on their condition, content or copyright status, or if they contain personal information. Consult Archive staff for more information. Related Collections: See also the Ford Hall Forum Oral History (SOH-041) and Arthur S. Meyers Collection (MS114) held by Suffolk University. Additional collection materials related to the organization --primarily audio and video
    [Show full text]
  • Voices of MLAC by John J
    Voices of MLAC By John J. Carroll, Esq. Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow, P.C. Access to Justice Fellow Project 2017-2018 PREFACE In his Access to Justice Fellowship with the Equal Justice Coalition, John Carroll interviewed leadership, staff, and other stakeholders in the Massachusetts legal services community. From these interviews, and using other historical resources, John authored the collection of narratives in this document, tracing the origins of civil legal aid in Massachusetts and detailing the vital services provided by the 14 programs funded by the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (a co-founding member of the EJC). These narratives will be translated into a variety of formats (articles, blog posts, fact sheets) for the EJC, MLAC, and civil legal aid programs to use in outreach, legislative advocacy, and other educational efforts. * Client names in this document have been changed to protect individual privacy. DEDICATION This project is dedicated to the men and women who work in, and have worked in the legal services programs described here. This year marks the 35th anniversary of MLAC’s existence. Over 30 current employees have been at their respective programs all that time. A special dedication to Lonnie Powers, who has been the Executive Director of MLAC since its inception. Acknowledgements This work would not have been possible without the inexhaustible energy of Catherine Rizos, Director of Communications at MLAC. Her skills in formatting, editing and project management were indispensable in bringing this work alive. Special thanks to Emily Spiewak and Sean Smerczynski at Meehan Boyle, who continually assisted in the drafting and editing process.
    [Show full text]
  • Pbs Quarterly Program Topic Report
    July 2005 PBS QUARTERLY PROGRAM TOPIC REPORT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QPTR Category: Abortion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOLA Code: NOWD 000130C1 Series Title: NOW Distributor: PBS Release Date: 7/29/2005 7:30:00 PM Length: 30 Format: Interview/Discussion/Review; Magazine; News In a controversial reading of the state's statutory rape law, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline has pushed to mandate reporting of any sexual activity of people under the age of 16 and subpoenaed medical records of abortion patients. Kline maintains he just wants to enforce the law and protect children, but critics charge that he's attacking a woman's right to an abortion and putting more kids at risk. NOW examines Kline's policies, which have made Kansas ground-zero for the reproductive rights debate in America. The report looks at both sides of the issue and at the implications for the nation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QPTR Category: Agriculture ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOLA Code: MLNH 008314C1 Series Title: The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer Distributor: PBS Release Date: 7/20/2005 6:00:00 PM Length: 60 Segment: 00:08:55 Format: Interview/Discussion/Review; News Cultivating Controversy: Betty Ann Bowser provides a report on Minnesota farmers' differing opinions on the Central American Free Trade Agreement. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    [Show full text]
  • Five Celebrity Chefs Immortalized on Limited Edition Forever Stamps
    Sept. 26, 2014 Chicago Contact: Mark V. Reynolds [email protected] 312-351-5868 National: Mark Saunders 202-268-6524 [email protected] usps.com/news Five Celebrity Chefs Immortalized On Limited Edition Forever Stamps To obtain high-resolution stamp images for media use only, email: [email protected] CHICAGO — The Postal Service cooked up a feast of 20 million Limited Edition Celebrity Chefs Forever stamps today. The sugar-free, fat-free, zero-calorie stamps will be on the menu of the nation’s Post Offices beginning today. The five chefs honored on the stamps — James Beard, Julia Child, Joyce Chen, Edna Lewis and Edward (Felipe) Rojas-Lombardi — revolutionized the nation’s understanding of food. By integrating international ingredients and recipes with American cooking techniques and influence, these chefs introduced new foods and flavors to the American culture. “These chefs invited us to feast on regional and international flavors and were early — and ardent — champions of trends that many foodies now take for granted,” said U.S. Postal Service Entry Mail and Payment Technology Vice President Pritha Mehra in dedicating the stamps. Mehra is the owner of the Mystic Kitchen cooking school where she teaches the art of Indian cooking to students throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. “As they shared their know-how, they encouraged us to undertake our own culinary adventures, and American kitchens have never been the same since. That is why today, we are celebrating not only five celebrity chefs, but also the unique flavors and dishes that — thanks to them — have become American staples,” she added.
    [Show full text]
  • I Love to Eat by James Still in Performance: April 15 - June 27, 2021
    Commonweal Theatre Company presents I Love To Eat by James Still In performance: April 15 - June 27, 2021 products and markets. Beard nurtured a genera- tion of American chefs and cookbook authors who have changed the way we eat. James Andrew Beard was born on May 5, 1903, in Portland, Oregon, to Elizabeth and John Beard. His mother, an independent English woman passionate about food, ran a boarding house. His father worked at Portland’s Customs House. The family spent summers at the beach at Gearhart, Oregon, fishing, gathering shellfish and wild berries, and cooking meals with whatever was caught. He studied briefly at Reed College in Portland in 1923, but was expelled. Reed claimed it was due to poor scholastic performance, but Beard maintained it was due to his homosexuality. Beard then went on the road with a theatrical troupe. He lived abroad for several years study- ing voice and theater but returned to the United States for good in 1927. Although he kept trying to break into the theater and movies, by 1935 he needed to supplement what was a very non-lucra- Biography tive career and began a catering business. With From the website of the James Beard Founda- the opening of a small food shop called Hors tion: jamesbeard.org/about d’Oeuvre, Inc., in 1937, Beard finally realized that his future lay in the world of food and cooking. nointed the “Dean of American cookery” by In 1940, Beard penned what was then the first Athe New York Times in 1954, James Beard major cookbook devoted exclusively to cock- laid the groundwork for the food revolution that tail food, Hors d’Oeuvre & Canapés.
    [Show full text]
  • Specials Call Us! See Page 5 > 2 Station Signals January2009 March2009 Sstationtation Ssignalsignals 3
    Adirondack Seasons airs Tell Me More premieres Thursday, March 5 at 10:00 p.m. Monday, March 23 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV/HD on AM1370/HD91.5-2 STATION SIGNALS TV21 | DTV | AM1370 | FM91.5/90.3/88.5/HD | REACHOUT RADIO | EDUCATION | WXXI.ORG march 2009 in Boston CHRIS BOTTI hosts Rock, Rhythm & Doo Wop Live from the Forum in Acapulco Voices: YANNI YANNI FRANKIE VALLI music SPECIALS call us! see page 5 > 2 StatiON SIGNALS january2009 march2009 SSTATIONtatiON SSIGNALSIGNALS 3 Dear Friend, If you’re a new member of WXXI (especially if you joined during our recent radio membership campaign), let me extend a warm welcome to the WXXI family! You join more than 27,000 others who voluntarily contribute to WXXI to keep our station a strong, independent voice for the Rochester community. Listenership to our radio services, especially news and public affairs, is stronger than ever. There’s also some good news to share about WXXI television. The most recent Nielsen ratings show that WXXI-TV viewers are the most loyal in the nation to their public television station, based on time spent viewing. That means that more people are tuning in and staying with our programming throughout the day. It’s just one measure of audience success, but an important one. Our children’s programming continues to attract a wide, diverse audience, as does drama, culture and news and public affairs in the evening. The WXXI Center for Public Affairs is also being recognized, not just locally, but throughout the state and nation.
    [Show full text]
  • Alice Walker Papers, Circa 1930-2014
    WALKER, ALICE, 1944- Alice Walker papers, circa 1930-2014 Emory University Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library Atlanta, GA 30322 404-727-6887 [email protected] Digital Material Available in this Collection Descriptive Summary Creator: Walker, Alice, 1944- Title: Alice Walker papers, circa 1930-2014 Call Number: Manuscript Collection No. 1061 Extent: 138 linear feet (253 boxes), 9 oversized papers boxes and 1 oversized papers folder (OP), 10 bound volumes (BV), 5 oversized bound volumes (OBV), 2 extraoversized papers folders (XOP) 2 framed items (FR), AV Masters: 5.5 linear feet (6 boxes and CLP), and 7.2 GB of born digital materials (3,054 files) Abstract: Papers of Alice Walker, an African American poet, novelist, and activist, including correspondence, manuscript and typescript writings, writings by other authors, subject files, printed material, publishing files and appearance files, audiovisual materials, photographs, scrapbooks, personal files journals, and born digital materials. Language: Materials mostly in English. Administrative Information Restrictions on Access Special restrictions apply: Selected correspondence in Series 1; business files (Subseries 4.2); journals (Series 10); legal files (Subseries 12.2), property files (Subseries 12.3), and financial records (Subseries 12.4) are closed during Alice Walker's lifetime or October 1, 2027, whichever is later. Series 13: Access to processed born digital materials is only available in the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (the Rose Library). Use of the original digital media is restricted. The same restrictions listed above apply to born digital materials. Emory Libraries provides copies of its finding aids for use only in research and private study.
    [Show full text]
  • J. Robert Oppenheimer Papers [Finding Aid]. Library of Congress
    J. Robert Oppenheimer Papers A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division, Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 2016 Revised 2016 June Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact Additional search options available at: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms998007 LC Online Catalog record: http://lccn.loc.gov/mm77035188 Prepared by Carolyn H. Sung and David Mathisen Revised and expanded by Michael Spangler and Stephen Urgola in 2000, and Michael Folkerts in 2016 Collection Summary Title: J. Robert Oppenheimer Papers Span Dates: 1799-1980 Bulk Dates: (bulk 1947-1967) ID No.: MSS35188 Creator: Oppenheimer, J. Robert, 1904-1967 Extent: 76,450 items ; 301 containers plus 2 classified ; 120.2 linear feet Language: Collection material in English Location: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Summary: Physicist and director of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey. Correspondence, memoranda, speeches, lectures, writings, desk books, lectures, statements, scientific notes, and photographs chiefly comprising Oppenheimer's personal papers while director of the Institute for Advanced Study but reflecting only incidentally his administrative work there. Topics include theoretical physics, development of the atomic bomb, the relationship between government and science, nuclear energy, security, and national loyalty. Selected Search Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. People Bethe, Hans A. (Hans Albrecht), 1906-2005--Correspondence. Birge, Raymond T. (Raymond Thayer), 1887- --Correspondence.
    [Show full text]