After twelve weeks, 96 hours, I鈥檝e completed my Art History practicum placement with 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Audio-Visual Resource Centre. During my time here, I have conducted digital research to support the 35mm slide deaccessioning project, aiming to create more space in the AVRC library. Each slide was carefully researched, and when I could find a high-quality image within the public domain, the slide was deaccessioned. I consolidated four drawers in these twelve weeks, each five allow for a whole cabinet to be removed. This is important work, where you must balance the desire to preserve a massive legacy collection like this with the need for increased accessibility. It taught me a lot about collections work and preservation, yet surprisingly, even more about life. 

A little over halfway through my semester, I came across an artist named Dan Eldon. Eldon grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, spending much of his time there and around neighbouring areas in East Africa. He also travelled the world. He was a photographer, eventually being hired by Reuters to be a war photographer. Eldon had an interest in how conflict worked; he wanted to understand, but in the same breath, did not stand for the topics he was covering. He found solace in his journals. Dan Eldon lost his life at the age of 22, along with three other journalists, killed in a riot in Somalia, after a wrongful bombing by the U.S. Marines.¹ I learned about Eldon鈥檚 story through my research into his slides. The images I was looking at were beautiful, they captivated me, and as I researched more, I discovered his story, which is now preserved in The Journey is the Destination, a compilation of his journal pages, published posthumously by his mother, Kathy. She writes in the introduction of the book:聽

He lived a colourful life, surrounded by people, always on an adventure. It was cut so short by way of the very creativity that coloured his life so brightly, his art, his photography. In researching Dan Eldon, I learned an important lesson about the work being done here at the AVRC: It is not just about preserving a slide or finding an image, but about preserving life itself.

In this collection, there are thousands of images that are nearly impossible to find anywhere else, whether they were donations from an artist, from a gallery that no longer exists, or from a private collection that doesn鈥檛 exist online. Often, these harder-to-find images are the most intimate ones, the ones depicting life, and the things that inspired artists we know and love. I remember on my second day, going through the Arthur Dove collection. Dove, a well-known American artist, whose majority of works are available somewhere on the World Wide Web. A little gold nugget slotted between these slides of his lifetime of paintings 鈥� an image of him and his wife, with their boat at the dock of their cottage home 鈥� however, stuck out. Through all Dove鈥檚 artwork, I could try to understand him, to see his mind and his inspiration, but it was always muddled in colours, shapes,lines, and perceived meanings. Yet, through these couple of images of him at home, with someone he loved, I learned so much of it. The rest, learned through brief research into his home, his boat (a prized possession of his), and his wife, also an artist.

The same happened when I was going through the Marcel Duchamp collection, parsing through well-known works like Fountain, and L.H.O.O.Q, yet the moment I learned about Duchamp as a person was when I picked up the various portraits of or by his loved ones, and by other artists, like Man Ray.

One that stood out, Rrose S茅lavy, a feminine alter ego of Duchamps, told me much about his place in society, his values, and what he fought for, as well as the deeper emotions that may have governed his life. This was gender-based activism in Duchamp’s day, created with the support of a well-documented friend of his.³ I had never heard of Rrose S茅lavy before finding this slide in the drawer, yet it taught me more about him than many of the artworks I was familiar with. Portraits like these seemed to be a theme in the slide collection, small images that show the relationships between artists and the photographers, or those in the image. Photos of artist groups, like the surrealists of the 20th century. They all told me a story I likely wouldn鈥檛 have found on my own.

These slides act as clues to the lives of the artists we admire, an image title, a photographer鈥檚 name, or a handwritten acquisition record tucked into a binder somewhere on a bookshelf.

So, what do we do if these clue trails vanish, if physical media loses its value to the art world, the film fades, and the records decompose? We won鈥檛 have these trails to follow, and when they vanish, so will these hidden stories that live in all the darkened corners of our institutions. It鈥檚 already happening, not only the disappearance of a physical collection, but the privatization of what is already digital. Some images are unusable, unfindable, unless you have permission from an institution and eighty euros to send their way. Why is this? Public collections like the one at the AVRC are forced to shrink while massive, inaccessible digital collections continue to grow, auction after auction 鈥搒upport your local public collection!

So why deaccession when these trails are so important? Well, when we deaccession, the image is first found online. Every image that is sourced online creates a network on the internet that leads us down the same trails, but through our screens instead of through books. It builds reliance and relationships with online databases like JSTOR, The Internet Archive, public museum collections, or MDID, the AVRC鈥檚 digital tool. These tools are replacing the physical library, and they must be supported in their efforts. All this to say, to deaccession a physical collection and to research each image is to be a life preserver in a vast ocean where history is sinking. To build pathways that teach us not only about art, but about art history 鈥� the way life, culture, and the winds of time have changed a discipline that influences so much of the world. Without life, love, passion, and inspiration, art is merely beautiful imagery. Completing my practicum with the AVRC, and through that, learning about the lives of artists, has taught me the importance of preservation and instilled in me a personal investment in the humanity of art.

The creation of art is an inherently human act, and one that begs to be documented and saved, lest we forget ourselves and the creativity that animates us.

References 

1. Dan Eldon. The Journey Is the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon. Edited by Kathy Eldon. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1997. Internet Archive. .  
2. 鈥淒an Eldon Biography.鈥� Dan Eldon. Accessed April 8, 2026. .  
3. Philadelphia Museum of Art. 鈥淢an Ray, Marcel Duchamp as Rrose S茅lavy, c. 1920鈥�1921.鈥� Accessed April 8, 2026.

The post Life Preserver : How a Legacy Slide Collection Introduced Me to the Lives of Artists & The Importance of Knowing Them appeared first on Audio-Visual Resource Centre.

The Audio-Visual Resource Centre is looking for a dedicated and reliable upper-level undergraduate or graduate student studying art and architectural history, film studies or music to assist with various projects, including editing and describing digital media assets, the evaluation of legacy analogue collection materials, digitizing audio/visual resources and developing on/off-line mini exhibits. The candidate must be detail-oriented, have excellent command of the English language, and work well individually and as part of a team.

Essential qualifications:

1. Minimum of 8 combined credits in art and architectural history, film studies or music.

2. Eligible for Young Canada Works. Preference given to applicants that are already registered.

For more information about the positions requirements for 2026, Download Application Requirements

The post YCW Summer Job Opportunity appeared first on Audio-Visual Resource Centre.

by Theresa McAvoy – Collections Assistant 2025 (Young Canada Works Program)

Over the summer as a Collections Assistant at the AVRC, through the Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations program, I had the opportunity to work firsthand with art objects and archival material. The two main collections I worked with were the xDX study collection and the Pierre du Prey 35mm Slide collection.

For both collections, I was tasked with learning the cataloguing process for artifact conservation and access. This encompassed creating catalogue entries, metadata cleanup, and metadata enrichment, among other tasks. This cataloguing system elucidated the meticulous work and minute details that go into catalogue creation.

Aspects that might seem banal to some, like proper punctuation, capitalization, and precise measurements and physical descriptions of objects change how easily accessible entries become to researchers going through this database.

With this attention to detail in mind, I also became familiar with the Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT). The AAT is a vocabulary database dedicated to the Art and Architecture disciplines which is headed by the Getty Research Institute. They consolidate and universalize language and definitions so that organizations who use their parameters can ensure that the language carries over. In this way, we avoid discrepancies across institutions. This reinforced how important precise language is in cataloguing.If multiple institutions are housing works from the same collection鈥攁s is the case for the former Design Exchange collection鈥攖here needs to be a universal language so that those researching these objects can find everything with ease and so that there is little to no disparity. Our goal is to make these collections publicly and widely accessible, eliminating any barriers that researchers might encounter, as well as making this kind of research more approachable to all.

The Design Exchange collection taught me how to work within those parameters as well as how to take advantage of them to their fullest potential. Industrial design is less commonly referred to in an art historical context, so by giving it a place within these collections as well as within this already solidified language, we are advocating for its legitimacy and also considering where this language needs to be broadened or modified to be more inclusive.

锘�Pierre du Prey’s Slide Collection gave me the opportunity to consider materiality more closely, as I worked within the AAT’s framework to distinguish the vocabulary between a photograph of an architectural structure versus the architectural structure itself. This is where I would need to consider what kind of language would be most accessible to researchers without compromising accuracy in these entries. What would people think to research using our database, and how can we ensure the key terms they use will yield them the results they’re looking for?

My goal with these catalogue entries was to consolidate as much information as possible based on the physical objects at our disposal. This, however, led me to what might have been my favourite part of the task: the research and reading required for metadata enrichment. I got to dig deeper into the stories behind these objects, scouring hidden corners in old books and articles to bring life to these catalogue entries. It made me feel much more connected to the collection here and also made me recognize the wealth of information which we are working to consolidate for public accessibility. It reminded me of the importance of the work of archives and how this resource is indispensable. Not to mention, I got to flex my art historical research muscle further. There is nothing quite as rewarding as the feeling of skimming through an endless array of articles and finally finding a reference to a long-lost city which only one or two scholars have researched and being able to share that resource with others. 

This placement at the AVRC as a Collections Assistant has furthered my love and appreciation for the arts and heritage conservation. I am proud to say that I will be able to take the skills I have learned here with me further into my career in heritage following my studies.

The post Cataloguing the Archives appeared first on Audio-Visual Resource Centre.

by Alexander Zoubek – Collections Assistant 2025 (Practicum Student)

Pierre du Prey鈥檚 photographs of France not only document the country鈥檚 storied architecture, but also capture the more elusive qualities of light and shadow upon its many historic sites, whose appearance changes with the time of day. Working through multiple cross country treks that stretch back to the late 50鈥檚, his Kodachrome slides convey a methodical, ambulating journey wherein du Prey鈥檚 lens mirrors the role of the sun, both revealing and eclipsing the landscape before his gaze. The seven photos that I have selected can be considered emblematic of both a multi-layered French heritage and the artistic qualities of the photographic medium, which are often glossed over in such documentary work.

Just outside the commune of Ayette lies a graveyard honouring the Chinese and Indian labour corps of the British army (as well as Chinese labourers in the French army), which served on the Western Front during the First World War. Many of the Ayette labourers came from Southern China, and their tombstones include various translated inscriptions such as 鈥楢 Good Reputation Endures Forever.鈥� [Fawcett, 58]

Such cemeteries can be found across northern France and around the Belgian border, where trench warfare necessitated a variety of backbreaking labour 鈥� ranging from digging, filling sandbags, and tending to railways. Many of their tombstones date from after the signing of the armistice in 1918, with the continued death owing to the unenviable duty of digging up explosives. [Fawcett, 45] Du Preys鈥� photo conveys both peace and stability. Dappled with shade, the central mausoleum is flanked by two trees that hold up the top frame of the image like twin columns. The grave stones are a luminous white, seeming to glow against the azure-blue sky akin to marble, porcelain, or perhaps bone. 

Les Espaces d鈥橝braxas (or 鈥淪paces of Abraxas鈥�) is a peculiar work of postmodern architecture by Ricardo Bofill, resembling a cross between a Greco-Roman theatre, a temple, and a dystopian office building. Built between 1978 and 1982, The Spaces were made to serve as a state-subsidized housing project amidst overcrowding in Paris. Dominating the suburban skyline, Bofill鈥檚 top-down approach reveals the contradictions of leftist, late-modern architecture: while he sought to 鈥渆nnoble the lives of his working class tenants and cooperative owners,鈥� his rigid and impractical design reflects a desire to shape their everyday lives akin to a benevolent dictator. [Schuman, 26] The massive and monotonous scale paired with the empty surroundings creates an oppressive atmosphere, one that is only further enhanced by recalling Imperial Rome. The use of the complex as a backdrop for the dystopian sci-fi film Brazil a mere three years after its construction all but confirms Bofill鈥檚 architectural vision lies closer to Stalin than Marx.

The selection of this architecture for photography fits within du Prey鈥檚 affinity for utopian neoclassical architecture. While he made sure to photograph the grand and occasionally grotesque geometries of the complex, he also brought out the oddities of its more 鈥渕undane鈥� details. This uncanny photo of one of the alleyways is a high-relief carving of light and darkness, where the architecture seems to advance and recede simultaneously. The cube-shaped capital appears to be suspended in midair, and the shadows underlining the wall further suggest that the structure is slowly rising upwards, defying gravity through sheer ambition (and perhaps a touch of arrogance).

Mont-Dauphin is a remote commune in the Haut-Alpes department, near the Swiss border. Occupying an alpine plateau, the town鈥檚 heavy fortifications were part of a chain of fortresses built and/or restored by the Maquis de Vauban, who served as marshal of France under Louis XIV. Now recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site, Vauban鈥檚 fortifications have demarcated the largely-unchanged French border, and nowadays serve as tourist attractions. [Johnston, 176] Mont-Dauphin is no exception, though the town appears deserted in du Prey鈥檚 photograph.

Aside from capturing the walls and motes of Vauban鈥檚 fortress, du Prey took the time to document the commune itself. Its nearly identical rows of plaster houses are both quaint and unnervingly empty, with the wide street leading our eyes to the clocktower and the snow-capped mountains beyond. The time appears to be 10:50 am, yet the street is still bathed in shadow. If a lamppost were to be included, the scene would resemble Magritte鈥檚 The Empire of Light.  

Le Corbusier鈥檚 Villa Savoye was commissioned by Pierre and Eug茅nie Savoye, and was built between 1928-1931. Though functionally a house, its form took precedence over function 鈥� most notably in the case of its roof, whose omission of gutters and water spouts made it prone to water damage and leaking. As a result, its distinctive modernist design saw it become a historic monument, with its significance lying in the aesthetic presentation of the architect鈥檚 鈥淔ive Points of a New Architecture.鈥� [Murphy, 75] In other words, it was a house that the architect built for himself and was content with not living in.

In this rare interior of the master bathroom, du Prey reveals the oft-overlooked effect of his skylights upon a living occupant 鈥� a young boy washing his hands. The sublime form of the light upon the tile wall renders our protagonist a silhouette, with the sharp angle of the sunbeam directing our eyes to a pull-cord switch. The mysterious doorway that lies beyond is scarcely darker than the foreground, where the child鈥檚 doppelganger reclines beside the recessed bathtub.

Not all monasteries can boast occupying the crest of a half-formed volcano (technically a volcanic plug), and fewer still have 236 steps carved directly out of the igneous rock. In fact, the dedication of this Romanesque skyscraper to Saint Michael 鈥搕he patron saint of mountains鈥� most likely owes to this geographic feature. Since its founding in 951 by Bishop Godescalc, the chapel has looked down over the surrounding commune, though its belltower would not be added until the following century. From under the shade of a nearby tree, we can see both the monastery over Le Puy-en-Velay and the distant statue of the Virgin Mary, each rising up atop their respective crests of rock.

Du Prey had taken over a dozen photos of it, all from different angles to show its preeminence, but I chose this one for the sheer scale it presents. The darkness of the ground only emphasizes the apparent benevolence of the two religious structures, which stand a silent vigil over the red tiled roofs below. It is easy to imagine the building as a stand-in for God Himself, and the psychological effect of its presence above the townspeople begets further speculation.

Built in 1846, Tours Station follows the Beaux-Arts design of local architect Victor Laloux. The two enthroned figures pictured above are allegories of Bordeaux and Toulouse, carved from limestone and made to resemble Roman patron goddesses. Holding dominion over space (the railway) and time (the clock), they seem to suggest the imperial reach of the July Monarchy, which was still in the process of conquering P艒mare IV鈥檚 Tahiti (and would be overthrown by the short-lived Second French Empire two years after the station鈥檚 construction).  

Here, du Prey once again shows his appreciation for classical architecture by focusing on the station鈥檚 clock as it鈥檚 squeezed between two monumental Doric columns, whose oppressive forms are dressed up in slightly pompous baroque ornamentation.

And yet there is a peculiar harmony between these elements and the blocky, modern text that wraps around the column bases like labels on a coke bottle. As a result, the slightly tyrannical presentation of Bordeaux and Toulouse speak less of some sublime nationalist power but rather inordinate amounts of money. The latent passage of time indicated by the clock is reinforced by the rising shadow of sunset.

Circling back to another WWI monument, The Canadian National Vimy Memorial commemorates the first battle in which all four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force led a coordinated attack against Germany, sacrificing 3600 men and wounding thousands more as part of the British-led Battle of Arras. The monument was designed in 1921 by the Canadian sculptor Walter Seymor Allward, who had designed another monument commemorating the Second Boer War in 1910 (where the use of concentration camps somewhat dampens any myth of heroic nation building.) Despite its symbolic importance for nascent Canadian nationalism, the memorial was left untouched by the Nazis, which may have been owed to the “predominant mood (…) of mourning and grief鈥� that it presents. [Hucker, 99] 

This photograph displays the double-lifesize sculptures that flank the structure. Craning their necks to stare at the sky, their luminous bodies appear rather uncanny against the background of the empty park, which resembles the homescreen of an old Microsoft desktop. The obscured staircase provides an unusual view of the site, which remains silent in its sun-drenched emptiness.

Bibliography

Fawcett, Brian C. 鈥淭he Chinese Labour Corps in France 1917-1921.鈥� Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 40 (2000): 33鈥�111. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23895259.

Hucker, Jacqueline. 鈥溾�楤attle and Burial鈥�: Recapturing the Cultural Meaning of Canada鈥檚 National Memorial on Vimy Ridge.鈥� The Public Historian 31, no. 1 (2009): 89鈥�109. https://doi.org/10.1525/tph.2009.31.1.89.

Johnston, A. J. B. 鈥淪茅bastien Le Prestre de Vauban: Reflections on His Fame, His Fortifications, and His Influence.鈥� French Colonial History 3 (2003): 175鈥�88. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41938241.

Murphy, Kevin D. 鈥淭he Villa Savoye and the Modernist Historic Monument.鈥� Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 61, no. 1 (2002): 68鈥�89. https://doi.org/10.2307/991812.

Schuman, Tony. 鈥淯topia Spurned: Ricardo Bofill and the French Ideal City Tradition.鈥� Journal of Architectural Education (1984-) 40, no. 1 (1986): 20鈥�29. https://doi.org/10.2307/1424844.

The post Light and Shadow Over France appeared first on Audio-Visual Resource Centre.

by Tyler Doyle-Chenard 鈥� Collections Assistant 2024 (Practicum Student)

I came to my two semesters of practicum at the Audio-Visual Resource Center (AVRC) with three years of undergraduate studies in art and architectural history (AAH) and an interest in working in an art library or archival setting. My hands-on experience at the AVRC was primarily in cataloguing and digitizing many 35 mm slides of Versailles and Paris Hotel Particuliers, all part of a collection of 40,000 photographic slides donated by Pierre du Prey, a Canadian researcher and architectural historian. 

Not only did I learn the digitization process, but I also became interested in slides as archival records, vehicles through which we connect the past to the present and future. Slides are images and physical objects that embody a specific social and cultural experience, that of their author, a place, and a time.¹

As an object, the 35 mm slide is a transparent positive film with an image surrounded by a plastic, cardboard, or metal frame that measures 35 mm x 24 mm. Its name comes from its 35 mm width.²  Slide photography was created in the 1940s and gained popularity throughout the 1950s, 60s, 80s and 90s.³  During these years, professors and students in art and architectural history classes used projected slides as pedagogical resources. However, others like researchers, architects, and museum professionals used light tables and small handheld viewers when working with slides. Slide photographs were taken by researchers and other professionals like architects and professors to document their projects or provide the visual content of lectures and conferences. Universities and museums amassed extensive collections of slides that they produced, purchased, or received as donations. With the arrival of digital technology and new media platforms like computers and smartphones, 35 mm slides fell out of use. They were replaced by digital images stored in databases, which are easily downloadable for viewing and incorporated into visual presentation programs like PowerPoint or websites. Sadly, in the early 2000s, slide libraries and their collections were devalued and deaccessioned. Fortunately, that has not been the fate of the AVRC, which still houses a collection of over 250,000 35 mm slides. 

My experience with photographic slides comes from working with the du Prey slides, carefully handling them to transfer their content to digital format. However, with my interest in archiving, I started to think about how 35 mm slides in the du Prey image collection of architecture and built environments carry much history and are valuable documents that retain his visual interpretation of the sites.⁴  The slides are archival documents because of their content鈥檚 value, their unique perspective, and their materiality. ⁵  Materiality is the slide photograph as an object that exists in time and space.⁶  For example, a slide of Versailles 鈥楶etit Trianon鈥� taken by du Prey in 1987 is both material and intellectual. It is a physical object made of film, chemicals, and a framing mount. However, it also represents content expressed through du Prey鈥檚 chosen view and interpretation of the Petit Trianon and its environment on April 8, 1987, at 1 p.m. Du Prey鈥檚 motivation and purpose in photographing this eighteenth-century building are his own and remain open to interpretation for the viewer, the researcher, and the student.  

The ability of du Prey to select his views and manipulate his medium at a specific moment influences the architectural and contextual reading of the built environment. How du Prey captures historical context through photography is not simply or quickly snapping a shot with his 35 mm camera; he is not just applying a technical process. As a photographer, he constructs his images and expresses an architectural and historical past through the lens of the present. His decisions regarding lines, angle, light, and distance are likely not random; they correspond to the precise moment he takes the picture and encapsulates his ideas, values, beliefs, and experience as an architectural historian and photographer intuitively.⁷  His research projects for books, exhibitions, or teaching also inform his photographic decisions. His choices are many, but ultimately, as a photographer, he looks to produce objective documentation or aesthetic expression of architecture. 

With time, du Prey鈥檚 slide photographs become historical documents that connect the built environment of a past time to ours. For example, du Prey鈥檚 slide photographs of the Petit Trianon, dated August 1965 and April 1987, are now studied from the present perspective of 2024. Du Prey鈥檚 slide photographs contribute to a re-evaluation of architecture in relation to a vantage point corresponding to a specific moment, the date and time of his slide photograph, that fits into a precise socio-cultural context. The notion of historical consciousness can help us connect past, present, and future representations of architecture.  

His slides鈥� content and material form also contribute to a trajectory through time and space, making his slide collection an archival document. ⁸  For example, to define the history and usage of du Prey鈥檚 Petit Trianon slides, a researcher or archivist asks questions like: Have they been on loan to educational or cultural institutions for teaching or exhibition? Were they discussed in a lecture or text? Have the slides been for conservation treatments because of damage or as per standards of practice? How did they become part of the AVRC鈥檚 collection? Visual Resources Librarian Jasmine Burns of Cornell University writes, 鈥淪uch information can be valuable to researchers in understanding the larger cultural context of the work itself or the artist鈥檚 [architect/architectural historian鈥檚] larger body of work.鈥�⁹  In other words, archiving du Prey鈥檚 35 mm slide collection is helpful because it can support our understanding of the evolution of the built environment and its place within his body of work.  

 I enjoyed learning about 35 mm slides and conversations with Nancy Duff, Supervisor of Resources Services at the AVRC, regarding the value of the du Prey slide collections as original archival documents and markers of our understanding of Canadian and world cultural heritage.  

The post 35 mm Slides as Archival Documents : Connecting our past and future Cultural Heritage appeared first on Audio-Visual Resource Centre.

by Etta Gerrits 鈥� Collections Assistant 2024 (Young Canada Works Program)

This summer, I had the chance to try something new as a Collections Assistant at the AVRC through the Young Canada Works summer program. Over the course of the summer, I got to sort and deaccession slides, create a new website, and create new records for a collection of images of Syrian architecture. However, possibly the most rewarding accomplishment of the summer was going through and enriching the metadata for the AVRC鈥檚 (quite substantial) Indigenous film collection. 

Metadata enrichment is the process of updating and adding more information to records in a library catalogue in order to make them more accurate (i.e. more enriched). In this case, we wanted to make sure all of our films by Indigenous filmmakers had robust records to make them findable to people searching our catalogue. We also wanted to make sure that any films by or about Indigenous people didn鈥檛 have any inaccurate or harmful terms in their records. Most of the record information lies in the subject headings – these are essentially like tags that will pull the item from the catalogue when one of these terms is searched.

The hardest (and most fun) part of this project was learning our cataloguing process. The AVRC uses the popular MARC 21 cataloguing system, which is overseen by the Library of Congress and used by many other libraries. The widespread use of the MARC 21 system means that libraries, including ours, can share and copy the records that other librarians made using the MARC 21 language rather than each library having to write all of them from scratch. Of course, this means that our records can be accessed and used by other libraries as well, bringing a certain weight to the quality of my metadata enrichment project. I was highly aware that the accuracy of the records I created would affect whether the material could be found and used in not only our collection, but potentially other libraries鈥� collections as well.

In the middle of my journey learning about MARC 21, I was introduced to a recent innovation within this system: FAST (Faceted Application of Search Terms) subject headings. After having spent several full days trying to learn the Library of Congress subject heading system (a system which normally requires full-on training to use properly), I discovered the FAST subject heading system, which still works with MARC 21 and with Library of Congress Subject Headings, but which took me less than a day to wrap my head around and learn to use. This blog post is too short to fully explain the excitement of discovering post-coordinate indexing (a term to describe the difference in indexing form that makes FAST so effective), but let me assure you, all my friends and family heard about it when I discovered FAST. Learning about FAST while working on this project meant that it was easier for us to decide to incorporate this system into our new collections database. I am hopeful that future records created at the AVRC will be much easier to write and much more effectively searchable because of our discovery of FAST.

This project, which I got to see through from start to end, was doubly rewarding: the AVRC鈥檚 Indigenous film collection鈥檚 records got a much needed update, becoming more accurate and accessible; and I got to learn about cataloguing systems from the ground up, discovering a love for the endless acronyms, spreadsheets, and controlled subject heading vocabularies that make up the process!

There was so much to learn at the AVRC this summer, and while this was one of the most exciting projects I took on, I am grateful to have learned new processes and techniques working on many different kinds of tasks! All summer I got to learn completely new skills 鈥� like metadata enrichment 鈥� which made it a really fun and valuable experience. I had a summer of cataloguing thanks to my placement at the AVRC, and I鈥檓 looking forward to keeping up my relationship with this great place and these great people!  

The post Journeying into the catalogues appeared first on Audio-Visual Resource Centre.

by Matt Piaskoki 鈥� AVRC Assistant 2023/24 (Work-Study Program)

The laserdisc was the first optical disc on the market. Being the first of their kind, laserdiscs were quite large, around the size of vinyl records. It was released in the States in 1978, two years after VHS and  four years before the CD. It would take almost another 20, in 1997, until its more compact successor, the DVD came out. The Laserdisc produced higher quality sound and video than the standard VHS and Betamax at the time. However, even though the format provided far superior media quality than the VHS and had an almost 20-year head start to its successor, the laserdisc failed to find its footing in the West and became a failure, quickly being forgotten about.  

While optical disc technology was invented decades earlier, the laserdisc was the first commercialized use 鈥� originally branded as DiscoVision. The first film to ever be printed on these discs was Jaws in late 1978. A few years later the name 鈥淟aserdisc鈥� became the standard in North America 

The first discs鈥� audio tracks were only analog, but later advancements allowed for digital tracks. Audio soon became more complex as discs could have both analog and digital tracks. Some used these pair tracks to add bonuses like scores, commentary, or for making bilingual discs. While early discs were often mono or stereo, later multi-channel ones allowed for surround sound.

Normal Laserdiscs could only play around 60 minutes of video on each side and were called 鈥淓xtended Play鈥� or CLV. Another type called 鈥淪tandard Play,鈥� or CAV allowed for more benefits like allowing varied playback or slow-motion speeds, freeze frame, and the ability to call on specific frames. The drawback was only allowing for around 30 minutes of video. 

Due to the high-quality video and sound laserdiscs provided, many films were given a laserdisc release. Film enthusiasts preferred this format over the inferior viewing experience of the VHS. While quality was much higher than VHS, so were the prices. Laserdiscs and their players were much more expensive than other formats at the time in North America. For most people the better quality wasn鈥檛 worth the extra price and stayed with VHS. In the East, in countries like Japan and Hong Kong, the Laserdisc was more successful due to cheaper prices of both the disc and players, leading to a higher adoption rate.  

Prices were not the only reason Laserdisc failed. The size, weight, and fragility of laserdiscs turned many away and favored the more reliable and accessible VHS. Each Laserdisc could only handle either around 60 minutes or 30 minutes of video per side depending on the type. For films, this meant flipping or swapping discs during the movie. Larger movies or ones that heavily used CAV came with many discs, making for a more cumbersome movie viewing experience. 

Today Laserdiscs are often forgotten about as they were always overshadowed by their more popular competitors. Once the DVD came to market, it effectively killed off the last of the laserdisc. Today only a small, dedicated fanbase of cinephiles still use and collect this obsolete video format. As functioning high-quality players become harder to find and certain discs have now succumbed to disc rot, it has become much harder to play Laserdiscs. 

The AVRC鈥檚 collection of Laserdiscs was acquired largely through donation and contains many films, with both Western and Eastern releases. They also have many ballets, operas, and classical music discs. They acquired some special release films, such as My Fair Lady, Amadeus, and The Sound of Music which include bonuses such as books, soundtrack CDs, and screenplays. Another notable special release is a set of the original Star Wars trilogy, with the rare original theatrical cut. Due to the high-quality Laserdisc provided and being popular with cinephiles and film collectors, many special editions were made for the Laserdisc format.  While it may not have shared the success and popularity of formats like VHS and DVD, Laserdisc still played a key role in the history of media storage. I enjoyed learning about the interesting story of Laserdiscs and hope others take intrigue in it too. 

The post Laserdiscs 鈥� An obscure yet unique video format appeared first on Audio-Visual Resource Centre.

by Purity Gituma 鈥� Collections Assistant 2023 (Young Canada Works Program)

This summer, I had a unique opportunity to channel my interests in media and heritage preservation while working as a Collections Assistant at the Audio-Visual Resources Centre (AVRC) under the Young Canada Works (YCW) program.鈥� 

Tasked with the vital role of processing and digitizing the newly acquired du Prey 35mm film slide collection, I found myself immersed in the architectural gems captured through these slides. As a fourth-year student in the History and Theory of Architecture (HTA) program, this was a meaningful and inspiring experience. 

At the heart of this collection is Pierre du Prey, Professor Emeritus of Art History at Queen鈥檚 University, and architectural historian whose incredible legacy is revealed in each slide.  

Comprising over 40,000 meticulously preserved and organized 35mm film slides, the du Prey collection offers a glimpse into the international architectural landscape of the twentieth century.  

In fact, these slides hold historical significance in their own right, documenting historic buildings and landscapes that have been transformed, or sadly lost to history. 

Thus, the impressive slide collection not only attests to Professor du Prey鈥檚 global explorations but embodies his commitment to documenting and preserving the built environment. 

With remarkably stable film slides dating back to as early as the 1960s, the extensive collection holds a hoard of incredible histories waiting to be explored. 

While engaging with the slides, I was particularly drawn to its documentation of early Heritage Conservation initiatives in Canada. 

For instance, the du Prey collection gives rare insight into the evolution of the Frontenac County Jail in Kingston, Ontario, before, during, and after its demolition in 1973. 

Showcased here is a striking photograph of Professor du Prey and his students standing united in protest against the demolition of the 118-year-old jail. 

This image not only offers a glimpse into the past but also shows Professor du Prey鈥檚 dedication to fostering? a deep appreciation for architectural heritage beyond the classroom. 

Contemplating on this image, I was transported back to this moment and captivated by their shared spirit of determination to protect the legacy embedded in the historical landmark.  

Evidently, the significance of preserving original slide collections like the du Prey collection goes far beyond pure nostalgia. 

While digital images are prevalent today, the AVRC鈥檚 commitment to preserving the historical value embedded in these physical artifacts ensures that the insights and stories they contain will continue to be accessible for future research opportunities. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to explore the du Prey collection and to contribute to its accessibility. 

This experience has broadened my understanding of architectural history and helped me appreciate the contributions of individuals like du Prey in preserving heritage. 

I am hopeful that the AVRC will continue in its mission of safeguarding these historic audiovisual resources. 

The post Preserving Heritage: A Summer at the AVRC appeared first on Audio-Visual Resource Centre.

During the final year of my MA in Film Studies, I had the incredible opportunity to work in the Audio-Visual Resource Center (AVRC) as the Collections Assistant through the Young Canada Works Program. The AVRC holds extensive collections related to Film Studies, Music, and Art History and, while I was aware of such collections through my undergraduate degree completed at 杏吧原创 in Film Studies and History, the ability to work closely with such collections was extremely valuable to me as it granted me the opportunity to combine both my interest in Film Studies and History.

My long-term project throughout the 2022/2023 school year involved working with the AVRC鈥檚 collection of 20th/21st century 35mm slides, deaccessioning slides that were either of poor quality, including discoloured images or duplicates of the same image, or readily available online in good quality, either through public domain sites, such as WikiMedia Commons, or through online museum collections, such as, but not limited to, MoMA, Tate, Philadelphia, or 杏吧原创鈥檚 own MDID collection. By doing this, I provided more space in the AVRC鈥檚 collection room for new acquisitions, while also ensuring that future students will have access to better quality images for their studies.

When not working through the collection of 20th/21st century 35mm slides, I had the opportunity to digitize and catalog Brian Foss鈥� collection of 35mm slides of Mary Hiester Reid鈥檚 artwork, a celebrated Canadian artist whose work is not readily available online. Removing any dust or debris from the slide, I scanned each individual slide and processed the images using Photoshop. There, I slightly adjusted the image, finding the correct balance between editing out any significant scratches or remaining dust particles while still maintaining the integrity of the original image. After completing this, I cataloged the images in the AVRC鈥檚 database, a searchable tool that students and professors can use for their own research or classes. Such a process allowed me to expand my cataloging experience, building on the tools I learned in my undergraduate degree, while also giving me the new experience of digitizing slides.

Overall, though, the most meaningful experience I had during my time with the AVRC was the 16mm film evaluations, which included projecting 杏吧原创鈥檚 vast collection of 16mm films, documenting any visual or audio issues, as well as if the films are available online in better condition. After viewing each film, I then checked, by hand, for any issues with the emulsion, base, cleanliness, warping, perforations, edges, splices, and whether or not the films were suffering from vinegar syndrome. In addition to this, I learned how to splice any breakages that might have occurred during the projection process. Being given the ability to learn how to use Eiki and Kodak projectors, and to spend hours with analog film and equipment, was a pleasure, and a blessing, that I will carry with me for the rest of my life!

The whole AVRC team 鈥� Nancy, Jenna, Adam, and Paul 鈥� are an absolute delight to work with and have taught me skills that I will value in all my future endeavours. The ability to work in a place surrounded by music, art, and film was an absolute delight and I am truly grateful for this experience! I urge all students to participate in the Young Canada Works program here at the AVRC!

The post Emily 鈥� Collections Assistant 2022/23 (Young Canada Works Program) appeared first on Audio-Visual Resource Centre.

Over the course of two semesters, I had the opportunity to work in the Audio-Visual Resource Centre (AVRC) as a collections assistant. The AVRC holds an expansive collection of materials pertaining to Art History, Music, and Film Studies.

During my work term, I focused extensively on the organization and the display of the AVRC鈥檚 Archive of Canadian Women Artists (ACWA). The ACWA collection holds thousands of materials including exhibition catalogues, art journals, books, and other ephemera on hundreds of Canadian women artists. The collection, originally complied by Dr. Natalie Luckyj, spans approximately the 19th to the 20th centuries, with a focus on Canadian sculpture, folk art, and indigenous art.

To start, I produced a finding aid for the ACWA collection. The finding aid is a comprehensive and searchable document available to students who are interested in exploring the collection. Developing a finding aid provided me with a deepened understanding of the organization of archives, aiding the effectiveness of my own primary-source research.

Throughout my exploration of the archive to produce a finding aid, I noted images and objects of interest to formulate a theme for an exhibition of the archive. While surveying the materials, I gravitated towards images of artists in their studios. My exhibition, In the Studio, provides an intimate view of women who carved out their own spaces to work, with conventional and unconventional rooms of their own dedicated to their artistic practices. The exhibit provides a view of artists engaging directly with their works, putting faces to the names of Canadian women artists whose pivotal contributions of art began in the studio. The curation of In the Studio provided me the opportunity to connect with Canadian galleries, archives, and artists. The process gave me an in-depth understanding of the intricacies and challenges of starting with an archive and ending with its meaningful presentation.

Along with the two major projects of the finding aid and the exhibit, I determined the quality and sources of art images captured on 35mm slides in the AVRC鈥檚 20th/21st century section of the collection. I removed and deaccessioned slides that were of poor quality and readily available elsewhere, providing space for the AVRC鈥檚 new acquisitions.

The Young Canada Works Program provided the opportunity to enrich my studies in the Master of Art and Architectural History program, allowing me to gain work experience that compliments my academic career.

Through my time at the AVRC, I learned that when looking for inspiration for academic projects, there is no shortage of exciting material on the fourth floor of the St Patrick鈥檚 Building.

I am grateful for this opportunity and for the AVRC team, who from the very start made the AVRC a welcoming place to work and to learn.

The post Olivia 鈥� Collections Assistant 2021/22 (Young Canada Works Program) appeared first on Audio-Visual Resource Centre.