Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538080
J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 | P E R S P E C T I V E 7 7 our collections and the members' donations. As technology is our friend and foe, Barb tirelessly worked up to the very end in the hospital at making our archive's database as user-friendly and free from errors as she could. Barbara worked closely with our members, especially those in need of hours, as well as historians, researchers, documentarians and scholars, who were all exploring the histories, achievements, and ephemera from or past to inform and enrich their projects and stories about who we are and what we have contributed to the history of cinema. Barb was our archive's champion, fostering appreciation and providing access to its still untapped potential. One example was Barb and her member volunteer's organization of our ADG Backdrop Recovery Project. Over the past decade, our archives have amassed the world's most significant collection of scenic paint artifacts and oral histories making it a center for learning about the history of Hollywood's scenic artists. Barbara's many years of producing oral history interviews gave her a deep knowledge and unique perspective about the history of art direction, entertainment labor politics and the stories of women in film. It was through her many interactions with our members that Barb became an effective communicator about the world of the Art Department. Barb was a generous contributor to our weekly newsletter and PERSPECTIVE magazine. Being a life-long lover of both silent and classic cinema, Barb was also a generous contributor to our Art Directors Film Society's programs. Personally, I was looking forward to our future collaborations related to the research and publishing of stories about pioneer women Art Directors from the silent and studio eras that have been overlooked and forgotten. Director and former silent film Art Director Alfred Hitchcock would remind us: "A filmmaker isn't supposed to say things. He's supposed to show them"—and that's what we do! Since its silent beginnings, cinema remains a visual medium and our Art Directors' contributions to its history is enormous. There are no metrics to measure how a good picture that is researched and designed well contributes to the financial success of a film. It is for the preservation of our legacy that the ADG Research Library was formally created in 2012. The fact is that if we do not continue to value and preserve the tools, history, legacy and achievements of our members, no one else will. Libraries are not profit-generators, but their purpose and contributions to the creation cinematic content is invaluable and eternal. Neither Google or AI (artificial intelligence) will replace the simple joy and tactile experience of discovery through holding a book, photograph or exceptional original working drawing, created by our masters and preserved from our past for our future. Toward the end, Barbara became genuinely concerned about the future of the ADG's archives and our members continued access to it. Barbara Hall's regard for our membership and love of research and learning was profound and deep. It is the aspiration of the many members who knew and worked with Barb to see our ADG Archives renamed in her memory as the "Barbara Hall Cinematic Research Library and Archives" so that we can convey and memorialize our appreciation for her service and stewardship. C. ADG RESEARCH LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES. C