About

The UK Screen Heritage Network was formed by a group of museums and archives, funded by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), to realise the following aims:

• Advance the concept of screen heritage
• Bring together the organisations, practitioners and collectors related to screen heritage
• Explore how the screen heritage sector can best promote its interests and advancement through networking and partnerships
• Promote best practice in the sector
• Encourage conservation, preservation and wider access
• Locate the work of this sector within the wider social, economic and cultural context, nationally and internationally

The UK Screen Heritage Network is one of a number of Subject Specialist Networks set up under MLA’s Renaissance programme.

What is screen heritage?

Screen heritage begins with the magic lantern in the 17th century and continues through to this day with our online culture. It encompasses:

• the history of the moving image as created on film, video and digital media
• the history of those working in the screen industries, whose creativity and skills are responsible for screen heritage
• business and individual records associated with screen history
• allied publications and ephemera
• related artefacts and visual material, such as costumes, sets, photographs, graphics and designs
• audio material, such as interviews and soundtracks
• screen technology
• heritage sites and their histories, such as cinemas, TV and film studios, and locations
• reception of the moving image
• histories and cultures represented by the moving image: who are we are, where we live, our place in the past

The work of screen heritage organisations comprises:

• archiving: preservation, documentation and access initiatives
• curation: the work of museums, archives and cinemas
• education: teaching, learning, research and resource development
• production and publication: the use of this heritage in film, television, publishing and digital media
• exhibition: cinemas, festivals, television, museum exhibitions and digital media

For information on the UK Screen Heritage Network, contact Michael Harvey (Curator of Cinematography, National Media Museum)

For information on the survey, or news items that we might publish, contact project researcher Linda Kaye

For the current member organisations of the UK Screen Heritage Network, see the links on the right-hand column.