2 U.S.C. § 179p: National Film Registry…

Summary

The Librarian of Congress must try to get, as gifts from owners, high-quality archival copies of each film on the National Film Registry. The Library is also urged to collect related items for study, like background material, production papers, scripts, and similar records. Owners who have original or preprint elements are encouraged to give them to help preserve the films. Gifts and those extra research materials become property of the United States and are kept by the Library as the National Film Registry Collection. The Library must give reasonable access for scholars and researchers and use the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Virginia to store and share the films, following title 17 and any copyright agreements.

Title 2, §179p

The Congress, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Acquisition of archival quality copies

The Librarian shall endeavor to obtain, by gift from the owner, an archival quality copy of the Registry version of each film included in the National Film Registry. Whenever possible, the Librarian shall endeavor to obtain the best surviving materials, including preprint materials. Copyright owners and others possessing copies of such materials are strongly encouraged, to further the preservation purposes of this Act, to provide preprint and other archival elements to the Library of Congress.

(b)Additional materials

The Librarian shall endeavor to obtain, for educational and research purposes, additional materials related to each film included in the National Film Registry, such as background materials, production reports, shooting scripts (including continuity scripts) and other similar materials.

(c)Property of United States

All copies of films on the National Film Registry that are received as gifts or bequests by the Librarian and other materials received by the Librarian under subsection (b), shall become the property of the United States Government, subject to the provisions of title 17.

(d)National Film Registry Collection

All copies of films on the National Film Registry that are received by the Librarian under subsection (a) of this section, and other materials received by the Librarian under subsection (b), shall be maintained in the Library of Congress and be known as the “National Film Registry Collection of the Library of Congress”. The Librarian shall, by regulation, and in accordance with title 17, provide for reasonable access to the films and other materials in such collection for scholarly and research purposes.

(e)National Audio-Visual Conservation Center

The Librarian shall utilize the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center of the Library of Congress at Culpeper, Virginia, to ensure that preserved films included in the National Film Registry are stored in a proper manner, and disseminated to researchers, scholars, and the public as may be appropriate in accordance with—

(1)title 17; and

(2)the terms of any agreements between the Librarian and persons who hold copyrights to such audiovisual works.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This Act, referred to in subsec. (a), is Pub. L. 104–285, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3377, which enacted this section and sections 179l to 179o and 179q to 179w of this title and sections 5701 to 5708 of former Title 36, Patriotic Societies and Observances, repealed sections 179 to 179k of this title, enacted provisions set out as a note under section 179l of this title, and repealed provisions set out as a note under section 179 of this title. Sections 5701 to 5708 of former Title 36 were repealed and reenacted as chapter 1517 (§ 151701 et seq.) of Title 36, Patriotic and National Observances, Ceremonies, and Organizations, by Pub. L. 105–225, § 5(b), Aug. 12, 1998, 112 Stat. 1499, the first section of which enacted Title 36. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.

Amendments

2005—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 109–9 added subsec. (e).

§179p National Film Registry Collection of Library of Congress