An exploration of how video shapes politics, law, education & media.
Join us for a conversation with Author and Program Director Peter B. Kaufman, led by archivist and filmmaker Rick Prelinger:
6:30 PM: Doors open
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6:45 PM: Book Talk: The Moving Image
Please note that this event will be held in person at the Internet Archive.
About “The Moving Image: A User’s Manual”
The Moving Image: A User’s Manual by Peter B. Kaufman examines the powerful role of video—television, film, and online media—in shaping politics, law, education, and entertainment. It explores how moving images have influenced global leaders and deepened societal divides. Kaufman also provides practical guidance on producing, distributing, authenticating, and preserving video, equipping readers with tools to navigate its growing impact on media, knowledge, and culture. Modeled in part on The Elements of Style, it offers both an authoritative analysis and an engaging read.
Purchase the book from The Booksmith, our local San Francisco Bookstore.
Peter B. Kaufman is a Senior Program Officer at MIT Open Learning and Executive Producer of Intelligent Television. Formerly Associate Director at Columbia University’s Center for Teaching and Learning, he has authored The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge, The Moving Image: A User’s Manual, and The Fifth Estate (forthcoming). Kaufman has worked with the Library of Congress, WGBH, and the Association of Moving Image Archivists, focusing on media, copyright, and knowledge dissemination.
Rick Prelinger is an archivist, filmmaker, and educator. He founded the Prelinger Archives, a collection of 60,000 films acquired by the Library of Congress in 2002, and continues to expand his archive. He has collaborated with the Internet Archive to make over 9,000 films freely accessible. His participatory urban history projects, including Lost Landscapes, have been showcased in cities across the U.S. Prelinger co-founded the Prelinger Library and serves as a board member of the Internet Archive. He is Emeritus Professor of Film & Digital Media at UC Santa Cruz.