"Step away from the machine": A Look at Our Collective Past

Introduction There are many issues impacting the history of media collections in academic libraries. Facets of this history are intertwined with the profession of media librarianship and the fields adjacent to it such as instructional technology and audiovisual production. Additionally, popular culture and the demand from library users impact our collection development decisions. Topics such as printism and media bias, naming of our departments, professional standards and guidelines, and the education of media librarians are all influences on our collective past. However, the primary shaping force is the variety of media formats driving our collections, and that will form the basis for this essay. Abram Joseph Ryan, a Civil War chaplain, is credited with saying, “A land without ruins is a land without memories—a land without memories is a land without history” (Bartleby .com, 2003.). Media-land is strewn with the ruins of clunky media formats, costly equipment, and darkened rooms with projectionists, and filled with the memories of media librarians. The following compilation examines developments experienced in the history of media collections in academic libraries. It involves among other sources facts, trivia, and personal remembrances from media librarians. A query was distributed to the electronic discussion list Videolib1 asking subscribers to respond directly to the author providing their experiences, in “Step away from the machine”: A Look at Our Collective Past