The C-SPAN Video Archives: A Case Study

Abstract

The C-SPAN Archives is a successful video archives of primary public affairs programming created and aired by C-SPAN. Now in its twenty-sixth year, the archives has confronted the challenges of creating an off-satellite archives, developing an indexing and cataloging system, providing access, and implementing new technology. These are issues with which other news archives must deal. This case study demonstrates lessons learned and problems solved that can be valuable for others thinking about these issues. As a total electronic collection of two hundred thousand hours, it represents a modern digital archives and a model for other news networks.© Robert X. Browning.

Advances in Research Using the C-SPAN Archives

“…The C-SPAN Video Library has captured all of this coverage and made it available for public use. The archive, along with its sophisticated online cataloging and indexing system, provides an unprecedented view into the institution of Congress (Browning, 2014;Frantzich & Sullivan, 1996). From a research perspective, C-SPAN's 30 years of archived congressional proceedings constitutes the most complete and publicly accessible accounting of government activity to date.…”