Moving Images
General Guidelines
Consumer Video Formats (VHS, VHS-C, SVHS, Betamax, MiniDV)
Broadcast Video Formats (U-Matic, Betacam)
Open Reel Video (1/2, 1, 2" videotape)
All open reel videotape must be sent to a library preferred vendor for digitization work. Patrons are responsible for all digitization, shipping, and delivery media fees as well as a $25 service fee for preparing the materials for vendor shipment. Patrons are responsible for working directly with the vendor to invoice and pay for all digitization work, shipping, and delivery media (hard drives). Costs and delivery timelines are determined by the vendor and library staff according to availability, material condition, and quantity of items requested. Library staff will work with patrons and the vendor to obtain an approved quote and timeline prior to beginning any digitization work. Materials are digitized to specifications and standards set by the Library. Additional fees may result in requests for file formats or codecs that do not conform to Library specification.
Motion Picture Film
All motion picture film must be sent to a library preferred vendor for digitization work. Patrons are responsible for all digitization, shipping, and delivery media fees. Costs and delivery timelines are determined by the vendor and library staff according to inspection time required for material preparation, material condition, format, and quantity of footage requested. The Library charges a non-refundable hourly fee for any inspection work required to obtain a quote regardless of the patron’s commitment to proceeding with digitization work. Library staff will work with patrons and the vendor to obtain an approved quote and timeline prior to beginning any digitization work. Materials are scanned to specifications and standards set by the Library. Additional fees may result in requests for file formats or codecs that do not conform to Library specification.
Digital Video Files
Many of our moving image items have already been digitized and are available as digital access copies (screeners) for research and preservation files for publication. We attempt to provide you with the highest quality copy, but standards and file format specifications for moving image digitization have changed over the years. Depending on the quality of an older digitization project and your intended use of the material, we may recommend that we digitize an item again to current standards. Requests for video files to be delivered outside of our standard workflows for file format outputs may incur additional hourly fees and are subject to the approval of library staff and/or vendors.
Access Copies (Screeners) for Research & Personal Viewing
Access copies, or screeners, are included in all new digitization requests and are provided for personal viewing or research purposes only. Files (.mp4) are made available via BOX download and may have embedded watermark and timecode. We do not provide copies via other file sharing platforms, researcher hard drives, or DVDs. We do not accommodate rush requests for access copies.
High-resolution Copies for Publication or Commercial Use
Requests for high-resolution copies for publication or other commercial use are evaluated and approved by library staff. We reserve the right to refuse these requests based on copyright or donor restrictions. Large orders for high resolution copies or for large digital files cannot be shared as downloadable files and will be provided on a hard drive included in the patron’s total cost once the drive size is determined. The following fees take into account the process of creating high-resolution files and do not include additional fees for use. Please see the Commercial Use Fees section for more information.
