Audiovisual Formats: Home

A brief guide to identifying rare and obsolete audiovisual materials.

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Welcome!

Welcome! I have created this guide to assist you in identifying rare and obsolete audio-visual formats. However, if you are interested in digitization services, please note that the Audio-Visual Archives does not provide on-demand digitization services. There are professional film labs that can assist you with that.

This guide could not include all AV formats, lest it get incredibly cumbersome. The focus here is on the most common obsolete and rare AV formats in the U.S. There are still more formats out there than are included in this guide, but I have done my best to include the formats you are most likely to find in your basement or the basement of your parents, grandparents, or other relatives!

Unless otherwise noted, all photos were taken by me of items that are the property of the Multimedia Archives at J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me or Molly (see the contact info on the right).

Audio-Visual Archive

Bill Langton, Al Londema, O.L. "Brig" Tapp 

The Audio-Visual Archive is located on the Fourth Floor and is part of the Multimedia division of Special Collections.  We are a repository for unique moving image and sound material from Utah and the West. 

Our collections include:

  • Student and independent films
  • Oral histories
  • Home movies
  • Local news, sports and radio programs
  • And many other rare and fascinating materials representative of the region's rich cultural and social history!

We are constantly working to make more of this vast and ever growing resource available digitally to students and the public for viewing, research and other artistic purposes.  A number of collections already have finding aids or clips available online.

Drop in, give us a call, email, or chat and let us help you with your research!

Jessica Breiman

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Jessica Breiman
she/her/hers
Contact:
Special Collections Digital Archives Librarian
Marriott Library Eccles Library Quinney Law Library