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COLLECTION Identifier: Arch CAV 2

Industrial Film collection

Overview

Baker Library holds an extensive collection of industrial film, dating from the 1940s to the 1980s, that documents the development of this genre. The topics of the films include labor and human relations, offering unique insight into industrial relations at this time.

Dates

  • Creation: 1939-1981

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Materials stored offsite; access requires advance notice. HBS Archives collections require a secondary registration form. Please contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information on access procedures and reproduction services.

Conditions Governing Access

Users can request access to digital materials in this collection. See folder or item level notes for additional information.

Extent

317.25 linear feet (5 boxes, 252 cartons)
8,713.7 Gigabytes (225 digitized video files)

Baker Library holds an extensive collection of industrial film, dating from the 1940s to the 1980s, that documents the development of this genre.

The topics of the films include labor and human relations, offering unique insight into industrial relations at this time. The films also offer a view into specific manufacturing processes such as a knitting mill operation. HBS produced 350 of the films for use in HBS classrooms and other management schools around the country. The film collection, and the related archival records, documents the fascinating collaboration that occurred between the Department of Fine Arts, the Fogg Art Museum and HBS in developing a film archive -- "the youngest of the arts".

The collection contains 16mm films and other audiovisual formats used for primarily for classroom discussion at Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration (HBS). The films, which represent a majority of the audiovisual materials in the collection, feature HBS produced case studies which cover a variety of business themes such as business policy, management, human aspects of administration, and other business problems. It also includes films featuring HBS events and ceremonies, interviews with prominent HBS faculty, discussions of school programs, and supplementary films purchased for classroom use. Additional subjects represented in the collection include time and motion studies, marketing and advertising, labor relations, and production. Also included is a small extent of paper materials which accompanied the audiovisual item. Materials include memoranda, stories, reviews with time codes, instruction manuals, notes, invoices, and reports. The collection spans from the 1940's to the 1980's and is organized into five series: I. Audiovisual material produced by the Graduate School of Business Administration and Harvard University, II. Classroom films, III. SFilms about Harvard Business School and HBS faculty, IV. Untitled films, and V. Audio recordings.

Historical Note:

Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration (now Harvard Business School) began actively collecting industrial films for teaching and learning as early as the 1920s with the goal of "contributing a background that will hold the discussion closer to the real facts of the case, and for that reasons enhance its value."

Physical Location

ARCAD

Provenance:

The Industrial Film Collection was transferred to the HBS Archives in 2004 from HBS Media Services in 2004 (A-04-19).

Processing Information

Processed: November 2018

By: Mary Samouelian, Stephanie Hall, Milo Carpenter

Processing Information

The materials in the collection are intellectually organized into series and alphabetically thereafter. The physical materials are in the same order as when they were transferred to Baker Library.

Processing Information

Baker Library Special Collections contracted with an external vendor to digitize materials in this collection. See item level notes below for additional information.

Processing Information

Baker Library Special Collections worked with Harvard Library Media Preservation Services to digitize materials in this collection. See item level notes below for additional information.

Author
Baker Library
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Language of description
und
EAD ID
bak00296

Repository Details

Part of the Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School Repository

Baker Library Special Collections and Archives holds unique resources that focus on the evolution of business and industry, as well as the records of the Harvard Business School, documenting the institution's development over the last century. These rich and varied collections support research in a diverse range of fields such as business, economic, social and cultural history as well as the history of science and technology.

Contact:
Baker Library | Bloomberg Center
Soldiers Field Road
Boston MA 01263 USA
(617) 495-6411