Title 2The CongressRelease 119-73

§179n National Film Preservation Board

Title 2 › Chapter CHAPTER 5— - LIBRARY OF CONGRESS › § 179n

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates a National Film Preservation Board of 22 members inside the Library of Congress. The Librarian picks the members from lists of three candidates that each named film, TV, academic, archival, and industry organization must send. The Librarian also picks up to 5 members-at-large and an alternate for every member and member-at-large. Alternates may attend meetings at Board expense when the regular member cannot. A few groups have special rules: for example, the Writers Guilds each submit candidates and one will be member while the other is alternate; two camera groups submit a single joint list. Members serve 4-year terms and may be reappointed with no term limit. The Librarian chooses the Chair and may remove a member or that member’s organization if the member misses at least one regular meeting in any consecutive 2-year period. Vacancies are filled the same way as the original appointment and replacements serve the rest of the term. At least 12 members are needed for official business, though fewer can hold hearings. Members are unpaid but may get travel pay and per diem. The Board must meet at least once each fiscal year. The Librarian must adopt conflict-of-interest rules.

Full Legal Text

Title 2, §179n

The Congress — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)The Librarian shall establish in the Library of Congress a National Film Preservation Board to be comprised of 22 members, who shall be selected by the Librarian in accordance with this section. Subject to subparagraphs (C) and (N), the Librarian shall request each organization listed in subparagraphs (A) through (Q) to submit a list of three candidates qualified to serve as a member of the Board. Except for the members-at-large appointed under subparagraph 11 So in original. Probably should be “paragraph”. (2), the Librarian shall appoint one member from each such list submitted by such organizations, and shall designate from that list an alternate who may attend at Board expense those meetings to which the individual appointed to the Board cannot attend. The organizations are the following:
(A)The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
(B)The Directors Guild of America.
(C)The Writers Guild of America. The Writers Guild of America East and the Writers Guild of America West shall each nominate three candidates, and a representative from one organization shall be selected as the member and a representative from the other organization as the alternate.
(D)The National Society of Film Critics.
(E)The Society for Cinema and Media Studies.
(F)The American Film Institute.
(G)The Department of Film, Television, and Digital Media of the School of Theater, Film and Television at the University of California, Los Angeles.
(H)The Department of Cinema Studies of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.
(I)The University Film and Video Association.
(J)The Motion Picture Association of America.
(K)The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
(L)Screen Actors Guild.
(M)The National Association of Theater Owners.
(N)The American Society of Cinematographers and the International Photographers Guild, which shall jointly submit one list of three candidates from which a member and alternate will be selected.
(O)The United States Members of the International Federation of Film Archives.
(P)The Association of Moving Image Archivists.
(Q)The Society of Composers and Lyricists.
(2)In addition to the members appointed under paragraph (1), the Librarian shall appoint up to 5 members-at-large. The Librarian shall also select an alternate for each member 22 So in original. Probably should be followed by a hyphen. at-large, who may attend at Board expense those meetings which the member 2 at-large cannot attend.
(b)The Librarian shall appoint one member of the Board to serve as Chair.
(c)(1)The term of each member of the Board shall be 4 years, except that there shall be no limit to the number of terms that any individual member may serve.
(2)The Librarian shall have the authority to remove any member of the Board, or the organization listed in subsection (a) such member represents, if the member, or organization, over any consecutive 2-year period, fails to attend at least one regularly scheduled Board meeting.
(3)A vacancy in the Board shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made under subsection (a), except that the Librarian may fill the vacancy from a list of candidates previously submitted by the organization or organizations involved. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy before the expiration of the term for which his or her predecessor was appointed shall be appointed for the remainder of such term.
(d)12 members of the Board shall constitute a quorum but a lesser number may hold hearings.
(e)Members of the Board shall serve without pay, but may receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with section 5702 and 5703 of title 5.
(f)The Board shall meet at least once each fiscal year. Meetings shall be at the call of the Librarian.
(g)The Librarian shall establish rules and procedures to address any potential conflict of interest between a member of the Board and responsibilities of the Board.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2008—Subsec. (a)(1)(E). Pub. L. 110–336, § 3(a)(3)(A), substituted “Cinema and Media” for “Cinema”. Subsec. (a)(1)(G). Pub. L. 110–336, § 3(a)(3)(B), substituted “Department of Film, Television, and Digital Media” for “Department of Film and Television”. Subsec. (a)(1)(H). Pub. L. 110–336, § 3(a)(3)(C), substituted “Cinema Studies” for “Film and Television”. Subsec. (a)(1)(L). Pub. L. 110–336, § 3(a)(3)(D), amended subpar. (L) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (L) read as follows: “The Screen Actors Guild of America.” 2005—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 109–9, § 302(b)(1), substituted “22” for “20” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 109–9, § 302(b)(2), substituted “5” for “three”. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109–9, § 302(b)(3), substituted “12” for “11”. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 109–9, § 302(b)(4), added subsec. (e) and struck out heading and text of former subsec. (e). Text read as follows: “Members of the Board shall serve without pay, but may be reimbursed for the actual and necessary traveling and subsistence expenses incurred by them in the performance of the duties of the Board.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

2 U.S.C. § 179n

Title 2The Congress

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73