Source Notes

Sec. 2. The Librarian of Congress is hereby authorized and directed to establish and maintain a library containing nationally televised or broadcasted programs which the Librarian determines to be of substantial public interest, including, but not limited to, nationally broadcasted television and radio news programs, public affairs programs, and .other programs dealing with current events. Sec. 3. The Librarian of Congress shall obtain, preserve, and index videotapes, films, or tapes of those programs collected under section 2 of this Act and he shall make those videotapes, films, and tapes available for purposes of study and research. Sec. 4. The Librarian of Congress, upon request, may provide copies of those programs listed under section 2 of this Act to scholars and others engaged in serious research: Provided, That the Librarian first shall promulgate such regulations pertaining to the procedures for obtaining said copies as will secure from infringement any copyright or other restrictions which may exist, and, in so doing, the Library shall not be subject to suit for infringement. Sec. 5. There are authorized to be appropriated such amounts as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act/ ***SOURCE NOTES*** To the teacher who is a novice at choosing films for the classroom and who wishes to survey the possible titles available in a given field, the shower of notices and catalogues from producers and distributors must seem incredibly confusing. Actually there are several reference volumes to be found in most major libraries that can make the chore a good deal easier. What many might assume to be the best source is the Library of Congress Union Catalogue of Motion Pictures and Filmstrips. In fact it has many drawbacks. Published every five years with more current supplements, there is no complete index. There is a subject index but its categories are difficult to follow, Films and filmstrips are mixed together, descriptive comments are very short and often uninformative; there is no indication of audience level, and no aids to film ordering except long lists of distributors addresses at the beginning of each volume. Look first at the Index to 16 MM Educational Films (First Edition, 1969) . Prepared by the National Information Center for Educational Media, at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, it includes subject as well as title indexes, and is especially convenient when one wants to compare the several films available on a particular topic. The film descriptions are short but to the point and are aimed at the educator. Don't forget to look under "Biography," "Civics and Government" and "Social Science" as well as "History." One serious drawback is the absence of audience level notations but that has been remedied in the Second Edition (1971) now available from R. R. Bowker Company. To supplement the descriptions of films found above, check the Film Evaluation Guide (1965) and Supplement (1968) which give more detailed and critical appraisals of many non-theatrical films by independent groups not interested in the film's commercial success. This guide is published by the Educational Film Library Association at 17 West 60th Street, New York,N.Y. 10023. Two other helpful volumes are Feature Films on 8mm And 16 mm (Second Edition, 1968) also published by the Educational Film Library Association, and Educator's Guide to Free Films (Thirtieth Edition, 1970) put out by Educator's Progress Service Inc.; Randolph,Wisconsin. The first lists feature films in alphabetical order with names of distributors for rent, sale or lease by area of the country, N.Y., Midwest etc. The latter, while severely limited in depth, may give you some ideas. Many of the listings under "History" are films prepared by the U.S. Armed Forces and include documentary accounts of World War II battles, etc. Look into their subject heading of "Social Problems" as well. Finally there is a Guide to Films (16MM) About Famous People (1969) published by Serina Press; 70 Kennedy St., Alexandria, Virginia 22305. It lists over 1450 titles with descriptions and audience level notations for films involving the lives of over 1180 famous people, contemporary and historical. This list of references is far from complete, but should help you to start looking for films relevant...