by Alison Leonard
In June,the SJSU Society of American Archivists Student Chapter organized a tour for students at the Margaret Herrick Library in Beverly Hills. The Library is part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, otherwise known as the Oscars.
Altogether the Academy is housed in three buildings in Los Angeles. The first is the Douglas Fairbanks Center, where the Library is located. Fairbanks,a leading cinematic actor in the 1920s, was a founding member of the Academy (founded in 1927) and served as its first president. The Library was established a year later in 1928. The second building is the Pickford Center in Hollywood, where the Academy’s film archive is housed. The Pickford Centeris named for Fairbanks one-time-spouse,Mary Pickford. Pickford was also a leading actor in early cinema and a crusader of film preservation. . Finally, the Academy Headquarters, in Beverly Hills, is where the executive offices are, as well as the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
