New Project Aims to Save Hawaii's Moving Image History

From Hawaii News Now:

The University of Hawaii’s new West Oahu Campus will be home to a unique collection. In addition to it’s book collection, the main library will hold thousands of hours of Hawaii’s history, all captured on video. A new archives project is currently underway to search for and restore lost and forgotten reels.
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The project fulfills a vision shared by many historians and archivists alike, to locate and safeguard Hawaii’s moving image history. Neglected for decades, thousands of old videotapes and film reels have been shelved away in museums, TV stations and private collections.
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Head Archivist Janel Quirante is responsible for restoring, transferring and cataloging the collected items. But the shelf life of all these items is nearly up. “Even the equipment that’s needed to play it back is no longer being manufactured.  said Quirante.
Quirante and her team meticulously screen each film reel and cassette. However, the footage will not be copied to more tape, it will all be converted into digital files. “With digital form we can make multiple copies without generational loss.” Quirante explained.

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