HARVARD ESTABLISHES MOTION PICTURE LIBRARY

A motion picture library and archive will be established immediately in Harvard by the Department of Fine Arts, the Fogg Art Museum, and Widener Library, it was announced yesterday.

Prior to now, the motion picture industry has not been considered deserving of cultural recognition. It is now the belief that the achievements in motion pictures deserve recognition. It is now the belief that the achievements in motion pictures deserve recognition as part of the cultural development of the country and must be considered in any serious historical and technical study of art; and it is with this purpose that the project will be undertaken.

With the cooperation of Will H. Hays, President of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, Inc., and a number of producers, this collection will be formed to serve the double purpose of recording the evolution of the moving picture from its beginning to the present day, and of selecting annually those films which are deemed worthy of preservation as works of art: Pictorial, narrative, dramatic, and histrionic qualities will be considered in the choice of the films. Eventually it is expected the collection will be augmented by the addition of cinematographic literature. However, it is not the purpose to cover the field contemplated by the archives in Washington for the preservation of historical and current events films.