Throughout my research I discovered that corporate libraries and information centers (CLIC’s) in the film industry are divergent in many regards. For instance, Paramount Studios house their film collections in multiple locations, most notably their corporate headquarters and the UCLA Film Library. Other corporate film libraries are not even considered libraries. Information objects like film reels, video tapes and DVD’s are better housed in Special Collections and Archives. The Library of Congress considers all film CLIC’s film archives because of this fact. However, film CLIC’s such as the WPA Film Library are proud and promote the idea that they are library. The WPA Film Library emphasizes values and skills inherent to librarianship. Access, preservation, customer service and research assistance are all staples at the library. For these reasons I will use the WPA Film Library as the inspiration for my CLIC management final.

Daily, weekly and yearly activities are contingent upon quarterly projects and each project is headed by one of four divisions: WPA Film Library Acquisitions, WPA Film Library Sales, Public Relations and Internet Advertising/Marketing Opportunities. In the following section I will highlight daily responsibilities and positions within the organization. I will save milestones and special projects for the fouth section in order to highlight both industry trends and specific projects within the library.

Although projects are primarily headed by one division leader, each division plays a role in almost every project. So, there is a lot of overlap in projects and the divisions are interrelated in satisfying the mission of the library. The WPA Film Library’s credo is to “Changing Points of View” by “Visualizing History.”

Acquisitions is headed by Kim Mazanek who is in charge of evaluating potential collections. She ultimately makes the decision whether or not an acquisition is of value to the library. This is a continuous program that requires many team members. Team members include part-time employees and interns who field calls and emails on a daily basis. Calls and emails to acquisitions are primarily concerned with whether or not personal film footage or larger collections can be submitted to the library. Callers are required to fill out a submission form and if submissions fulfill essential criteria then the potential submissions are evaluated by Mazanek. The library both buys and sells footage and acquisitions in primarily concerned with the purchasing of collections. Although acquisitions is in charge of evaluating submissions, the sales division has the final word in the purchase of footage from sellers.

Sales is headed by Diane Paradiso who is in charge of both buying and selling footage. So, upon compiling evaluations by acquisitions, the sales division allocates funds accordingly. Similar to the acquisitions division, sales is comprised of many team members. Interestingly, research is a sub-unit of sales and fulfills roles for both customers and employees. On a day to day basis, researchers investigate everything from market trends to technological innovation. Researchers also compile information on what users may or may not want to purchase from the library and in what format. At the same time, researchers provide research assistance to customers looking for a particular shot or collection. Researchers not only need to know how to find information external to the library but they must also know the collections inside and out. So, this may be the position most closely related to a librarian because they act as an information conduit by providing information to other divisions, their leaders and the customers.

According to Christine Hester who heads the Public Relations division, public relations personnel are utilized by each division and can provide lower level support.

The WPA Film Library is a subsidiary of the MPI Media Group which specializes in the dissemination of videos and DVD’s to renters. They also own rights to many films. This parent group provides assistance in format changes for the library. To provide access and preservation, the MPI conducts projects that convert footage previously available in film to video tape or DVD.

As revealed in the above section, employees of the WPA Film Library are versatile in both attributes and competencies. The organization of the teams also reflects versatility an adjective I would use to describe the library as a whole. However, let us examine the values, attributes and competencies of the researchers because they most closely resemble an information professional.

Researchers provide a slew of services internal and external to the library. Film archives and studio libraries are notorious for providing limited services and charging high fees for stock footage. For instance, if an individual is attempting to find the right shot of Vienna for a documentary, they first need to visit the archive or libraries physical location. Second, they have traditionally provided few services beyond their handing an inventory list to customers, so users may be overwhelmed with information. Third, stock footage on average costs $26 to $250/second for the right to use. Although there is little film libraries and archives can do about the cost of film rights, the WPA Film Library prides itself on finding the right shots for you. So, researchers must be proficient in finding items within their collections. The value of access goes hand in hand with the ability to get customers the information they need. In addition to providing information for customers, researchers must compile information for division leaders. This can range from market trends to box office numbers. So, researchers must be competent in information technology, in finding information, evaluating information resources, and being resilient in their searches. This again reflects the attribute of versatility.

There are many trends affecting the film industry today. Lower box office sales and the rise of film production are affecting the bottom line for many film studios. This is pertinent to film CLIC’s because solutions have been proposed that may improve revenues for film CLIC’s. The trend for digitization may mark a turning point for both the movie going experience and acquiring film materials from film libraries. The film industry is banking on the theory that online access to movies will increase profits. Projects such as Eat Cinema are providing a new service that allows films to be broadcasted and accessed on iPods, PC’s, and televisions. If film CLIC’s move towards digitization as well, and the film industry is correct, the digitization will allow for home access to library materials. Digitization projects will call for more jobs in computer technologies and digital conversion projects will be massive.