American Center for Children's Television (ACCT) records
Collection
0106-MMC
The American Center for Children’s Television (ACCT) was a creative professional development and resource center holding seminars, workshops, screenings and other events to promote discussion of children’s media creative and critical issues. The ACCT grew out of the American Children's Television Festival – the Ollie Awards – with competitions taking place in 1985, 1987, 1989, and 1993 before being suspended for lack of funding.
This collection documents the Ollie Awards from 1985-1993 and includes 600 videotapes of entries for the awards. An inventory of these programs has been prepared and is available from the external documents section.
This collection is open to the public and must be used in the Special Collections reading room. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.
This collection contains audiovisual materials. Items that cannot be used in the Special Collections reading room or are too fragile for researchers require that a digital copy be made prior to use. If you would like to access these materials, please contact us prior to your visit, so we may determine the proper steps to be taken.
Photocopies or digital surrogates may be provided in accordance with Special Collections and University Archives duplication policy. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs unless otherwise specified. It is the researcher's responsibility to secure permission to publish materials from the appropriate copyright holder.
0.25 Linear Feet
613 Videocassettes : U-Matic tapes
The Records of the American Center for Children's Television consist of approximately 600 videotape entries for the Ollie awards which recognized the best in children's programming.
A preliminary inventory has been prepared and is available in the external document section of this finding aid.
The American Center for Children’s Television (ACCT) was a creative professional development and resource center holding seminars, workshops, screenings and other events to promote discussion of children’s media creative and critical issues. The ACCT grew out of the American Children's Television Festival (ACTF)– the Ollie Awards – with competitions taking place in 1985, 1987, 1989, and 1993 before being suspended for lack of funding.
James Fellows, a longtime public broadcasting executive and communication professor, founded the ACTF in 1984. When the Ollie Awards became financially unsustainable, Fellows and Executive Director David Kleeman decided to transform the Festival into an organization fostering better television programming for young people through seminars, workshops, screenings and other events to promote discussion of children's media creative and critical issues. The ACCT brought together industry professionals, but also educators, researchers, child development experts, child health specialists and more.
In the late '90s, watching how children's media behaviors were changing, the ACCT became the American Center for Children and Media (ACCM), acknowledging the growing role of interactive and digital content. The activities of the organization were much the same - small- and medium-sized events (primarily in New York and Los Angeles) around emerging issues and creative trends.
In 2003, Fellows sustained serious injuries in an accident and was unable to continue in his role. Kleeman became President, and ran the organization as its sole employee until a number of factors made the ACCM financially unsustainable. In 2013, Kleeman closed the ACCM and remaining funds were donated to the National Association for Media Literacy Education. The type of cross-industry work pioneered by the ACCM goes on today with organizations like the Children's Media Association.
The records of the American Center for Children's Television were donated to the University of Maryland Libraires By David Kleeman in April, 1999.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives