On Location Research
Approximately 30% of the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) collection is accessible anywhere in the United States through the Online Reading Room on the AAPB website. Members of the general public may access the entire collection within the GBH Archives offices and at the Library of Congress Moving Image and Recorded Sound Research Centers. Content is accessible as proxy files, or low-resolution viewing/listening copies provided through the AAPB website. Users accessing AAPB materials at the on-site research locations must agree to abide by AAPB Access Policies.
Visiting GBH
Hours and Location:
8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday
WGBH Educational Foundation
GBH Archives
One Guest Street
Boston, MA 02135
Researchers must first schedule a research appointment with the GBH AAPB Project Manager, who can be contacted at [email protected]. Researchers may visit anytime during normal business hours. Directions to GBH and additional information will be provided after a research appointment is scheduled. Researchers also will be asked to read, complete, and sign the GBH AAPB Access Policy.
The Media Library and Archives will provide appropriate reference services and research space. All research and access to proxy files will be conducted in the Media Library and Archives. Researchers will use pencils or pens; no cameras or other recording devices are permitted. Copies of materials for scholarly use will be granted in accordance with the fair use provisions of the Copyright Act. The scholar must give a list of their copy requests to the AAPB Project Manager, and copies will be made by the Media Library and Archives staff. Scholars must provide their own storage device.
The AAPB Collection must be acknowledged in publications as follows: [name of Contributing Organization], American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. The Media Library and Archives will receive, free of charge, one copy of any paper, book, thesis, or article drawing substantially on materials from the AAPB.
Visiting the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division contains two sections, Recorded Sound and Moving Image. These two sections have distinct policies and procedures regarding on-site access.
Recorded Sound Section
Hours and Location:
8:30 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave. SE
James Madison Building, LM 113
Recorded Sound Research Center
Performing Arts Reading Room
Washington, DC 20540-4690
Who Can Listen:
Recorded Sound collections are available to the public for listening in the Recorded Sound Research Center. Listening facilities are provided without charge.
Listening Appointments:
Recordings that fall under the rubric of the American Archive of Public Broadcasting Collection will be available for listening on demand, on-site at the Library.
Appointments are required for listening to most of the other material in the Library’s collections. Recordings do not circulate. Listeners can telephone the Research Center at (202) 707-7833, fax requests to (202) 707-8464, or submit an email request to [email protected].
The Library holds public media material other than the American Archive of Public Broadcasting Collection; these materials, if not already digitized, will take at least two weeks for engineers to digitize for listening appointments. Special arrangements are required for requests of more than five items needing digitization at one time. Certain audio formats will require more time to digitize and will necessitate a longer wait. Please contact the Research Center as soon as possible with large requests or to identify previously digitized recordings.
Patrons may use the Research Center without appointment to access catalogs, in-house databases, reference books, archival manuscript collections, microfiche, microfilm, and other reference sources.
Submitting Listening Requests: For listening requests of materials other than those in the American Archive Collection, be sure to include the name and title of the items requested, the call numbers (e.g., RWD 3214; LWO 5599 gr12 r2a1-3b), and your personal contact information so that we can confirm your appointment.
Offsite researchers may begin their search by using the Recorded Sound Research Center site, Library of Congress Online Catalog, or Sound Online Inventory and Catalog (SONIC). If unable to find a recording in the catalogs, please contact our reference staff by emailing [email protected] or calling (202) 707-7833.
Moving Image Section
Hours and Location:
8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave. SE
James Madison Building, LM 336
Moving Image Research Center
Washington, D.C. 20540-4690
Who Can View:
Digital access copies of American Archive of Public Broadcasting Collection materials are available to the public for screening in the Moving Image Research Center.
For materials in Library moving image collections other than those in the American Archive Collection, film, video, and digital access copies are available for screening by qualified researchers. Viewing facilities are provided without charge for individuals doing research that will lead to publicly available works, such as dissertations, publications, or film/television productions. University students with projects endorsed by their professors also qualify. We are unable to accommodate groups.
Viewing Appointments:
Advance notice is not needed for viewing items that have been digitized, but a reservation is recommended to guarantee equipment availability. If an appointment needs to be cancelled or rescheduled, please contact the reference staff as soon as possible. Cancellation without sufficient notice can prevent others from having access to the facilities.
Submitting Viewing Requests:
When submitting viewing requests for materials other than those in the American Archive collection, please provide title, call number (e.g. VBG 3214; FCA 4414-4416), and date.
Offsite researchers should begin their search by using the Moving Image Research Center site or Library of Congress Online Catalog. For materials other than those in the American Archive Collection, please limit your request to forty titles.
The Library holds public media material other than the American Archive of Public Broadcasting Collection. When an access copy does not exist for public media that is not in the American Archive Collection, researchers can contact a reference librarian to discuss the possibility of generating a digital access copy.
For Recorded Sound and Moving Image Sections
Recording:
Recording equipment of any type is not allowed in the Research Centers. Photographing images from the screen for reference purposes will be permitted only when authorized in advance by our reference staff.
Reader Identification Card:
All users of the Library's research areas, including the Recorded Sound and Moving Image Research Centers, are required to have a Reader Identification Card issued by the Library.
Reader Identification Cards are free and can be obtained by completing a registration process and presenting a valid driver's license, state-issued identification card, or passport. Researchers must be 16 and above years of age at time of registration.
Readers may find more information about applying to be a Reader at the Library of Congress by navigating a web browser to: http://www.loc.gov/rr/readerregistration.html
Though on-site registration is required, pre-registration may occur online, by following this URL: https://wwws.loc.gov/readerreg/remote/
Researchers seeking access to the collection on-site may use this system to pre-register for a Library of Congress Reader Identification Card. In order to complete your registration and receive your card, researchers must come to the Library of Congress in person and present a valid form of identification at the Reader Registration Station located in the Madison Building, Room LM 133 (in the Newspaper & Current Periodicals Reading Room) or the Jefferson Building, Room LJ 139 (in the Microform and Electronic Resources Center).
Maps and Floor Plans:
To facilitate applying for a card and reaching the reading room, please navigate to this URL: http://www.loc.gov/visit/maps-and-floor-plans/