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Demystifying Screen Archive Catalogues

Photograph of BFI Archive: a person wearing a blue hard hat works in a long aisle filled with shelves stacked high with film canisters.

A step-by-step guide on how to navigate film collection catalogues

Type Document

Categories Resource, Screen Heritage

Resource Title Demystifying Screen Archive Catalogues

URL bit.ly

Authors Andy Robson, Film Hub Northern Ireland

Date 2026

The archive catalogue, the first point of call for many exhibitors, can sometimes be a challenging process to find material.


Terms can be obsolete or archaic and material that is of interest can often go unrecorded by the original cataloguers. In developing diverse audiences, navigating catalogues is an important skill.

The toolkit provides BFI FAN Members with a step-by-step guide on how to navigate film collection catalogues, assisting them in programming archive events with target audiences.

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This resource was produced by Andy Robson and commissioned by Film Hub Northern Ireland, with National Lottery funding on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network.


Image credit: BFI archive in Hertfordshire © Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images