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Alan F. Lewis papers

 Collection 0167-MMC-NPBA

Alan F. Lewis began his public broadcasting career at WEDU-TV, Tampa, Florida, in 1963 as a producer and director. He was named director of programming in 1967. Lewis then worked for the Public Television Library from 1973 to 1983 in a variety of positions. Between 1973 and 1977, he was Supervisor of Acquisitions; from 1977 through 1978, he was Manager of the Public Television Library at the Public Broadcasting Service. In 1979, he became director of Broadcast and Archive Services at the Public Television Library. Finally, in 1980, he was named Director of the Public Television Archives. The collection documents Alan Lewis' career in public broadcasting and his consulting work with the Museum of Modern Art.

Dates

  • Creation: 1955-1991 and undated
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1963-1971

Use and Access to Collection

This collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

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.

Archival materials may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal and/or state right to privacy laws or other regulations. While we make a good faith effort to identify and remove such materials, some may be missed during our processing. If a researcher finds sensitive personal information in a collection, please bring it to the attention of the reading room staff.

Extent

14.00 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Scope and Content of Collection

The Alan F. Lewis papers cover the years 1963 to 1991, with the bulk of the collection ranging from 1963 to 1971. Program listings and Flexible Catalogs represent Lewis' career in public broadcasting while memos and other correspondence highlight Lewis' consulting activities at the Museum of Modern Art.

Biography

Alan Lewis began his professional career at WEDU-TV, Tampa, Florida, in 1963 as a producer and director. Between 1965 and 1967 he was also Coordinator of Programming Planning and Operations. Lewis held these two positions until 1967, when he was named Director of Programming at WEDU.

From September, 1973, through April, 1983, Lewis worked for the Public Television Library in a variety of positions. Between 1973 and 1977, he was Supervisor of Acquisitions; from 1977 through 1978, he was Manager of the Public Television Library at the Public Broadcasting Service. In 1979, he became director of Broadcast and Archive Services at the Public Television Library. Finally, in 1980, he was named Director of the Public Television Archives.

Moving from public to commercial broadcasting, Alan Lewis became Director of the Film and Videotape Archive at CBS News, New York City, in 1983. He held this post until 1987.

Lewis left CBS in 1987 to become an independent media preservation consultant. Lewis worked with the Christian Science Publishing Society to establish a news videotape archive, the Twyla Tharp Dance Foundation employed Lewis to help with videotape preservation, and he advised the Oregon Historical Society on television newsfilm preservation.

One of Lewis' largest consulting projects was for the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). Lewis was employed by their Department of Film Archives to search out a suitable location for a Moving Image Preservation Facility in central Pennsylvania.

Lewis has been involved in numerous conferences and workshops since 1981 including the Archivists Roundtable of Metropolitan New York, 1984 and 1991, and the Smithsonian Institution Staff Seminar of September 1987.

Since 1991, Lewis has been Assistant Branch Chief/Supervisory Audiovisual Specialist of the Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Branch at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. He has written several articles, including "Preservation of Magnetic Media" for the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services. He also wrote "Fast Rewind: The Archaeology of the Moving Image."

Arrangement

Organized as seven series.

  1. Series 1: National Educational Television Materials
  2. Series 2: National Educational Television Program Descriptions
  3. Series 3: Operations Department Program Books
  4. Series 4: Public Television Archives Material
  5. Series 5: Books and Promotional Material
  6. Series 6: Oral History Interviews
  7. Series 7: Museum of Modern Art Consulting Materials

Custodial History and Acquisition Information

The Alan F. Lewis papers were donated to the University of Maryland at College Park in five installments between December of 1991 and July of 1994.

Title
Guide to the Alan F. Lewis papers
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Mark Walden, April 1996.
Date
1996-10-01
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Revision Statements

  • 2007-04-15: EAD markup checked and verified using JEdit software by Karen E. King.
  • 2008-09-18: EAD revised by Karen E. King.
  • 1996-10: Revised by Karen E. King.
  • 2019-01-15: Finding aid reviewed and minor edits made by Duncan Griffin.
  • 2021-09-17: Jim Baxter re-wrote the collection abstract; Sam O’Donnell updated gendered language.

Library Details

Part of the Special Collections and University Archives

Contact:
University of Maryland Libraries
Hornbake Library
4130 Campus Drive
College Park Maryland 20742
301-405-9212