Managing Film and Video Collections

Citation

Holland, M. (2001), "Managing Film and Video Collections", The Electronic Library, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 49-53. https://doi.org/10.1108/el.2001.19.1.49.5

Managing film and Video Collections is published as part of the ASLIB series of Know How Guides. The series is intended to give practical advice to practitioners from experts on issues of current concern. The expert in this case is Chris Wilkie, Archive Manager of the BBC’s Information and Archives Department. The book covers issues about film formats and equipment, preservation, documenting and cataloguing holdings; searching; security and staff training.

To give a feel for the content, the book answered several questions the reviewer had from recent experience of handling a video donation. What is M II? and should you store video on wooden non‐magnetic shelving or will metal do? M II for those who want to know is an analogue component videotape produced by Panasonic. Views vary on the use of metal shelving but Chris Wilkie points out the additional fire risk of wood and the chemical side effects of paint finishes. In other words metal is best.

The test of a book that claims expert credibility is whether the expertise informs the writing (or could anyone have written it!). In this case the expert’s view comes through on every page. The longest chapter, Documentation and Cataloguing of holdings, 35 pages, is excellent, with information on the special requirements of film and video seamlessly delivered with sound advice on essential library skills.

The style is crisp and direct, the text being broken down by sub headings into bite sized sections. There are perhaps two omissions. A list of relevant organisations would be helpful as well as a short bibliography. If I were asked to say what this book does I would say, to borrow an advertising slogan, it does exactly what it says on the cover. I consider I was very lucky to review it when I had need of it!