With the establishment of the IU Libraries Film Archive, Indiana University has made a major commitment to the preservation of the IU Libraries' film-related materials. The new film archive has dedicated facilities for preservation and storage, full-time staff, and a partnering exhibition space at IU Cinema.

 
IU has a strong history in film production, distribution, and acquisition. The institution has been acquiring motion picture film since the 1930s and served as one of the leading film distribution centers of classroom films from the 1930s through the 2000s. In 2006, these educational film collections were transferred from the IU Audio-Visual Center to IU Libraries, and this important, historic collection is now part of the IU Libraries' rich archival holdings.

The Film Archive collections include the 48,000 items in the Educational film collection, the over 3,000 titles in the Lilly Library’s David Bradley collection, the Lilly Library’s film and manuscript collections of filmmakers John Ford, Orson Welles and Peter Bogdanovich, and the film holdings in the University Archives collections which include University Athletic films and films from individuals connected with IU.

 
The Film Archive is now open for research and educational purposes. Materials are accessible for on-site viewing only.  Some films are currently digitized and can be viewed on the Archive’s website.