WASHINGTON, DC.- The Library of Congress has named Rachael Stoeltje as the new chief of the Library’s National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, which includes the Library’s Packard Campus in Culpeper, Virginia, beginning in January 2025.
Stoeltje will oversee the state-of-the-art facility where the Library of Congress acquires, preserves and provides access to the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of films, television programs, radio broadcasts and sound recordings.
Before joining the Library of Congress, Stoeltje was the director of the Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive since 2010 where she grew the archive and oversaw the university’s film Mass Digitization and Preservation Initiative. She also serves as president of the Association of Moving Image Archivists where she oversees global symposia, an annual conference, and initiatives to expand diversity in moving image preservation.
“Over the course of her career, Rachael Stoeltje has been a visionary – grounded, yet laser-focused on the future and leading by example,” said Hannah Sommers, associate librarian for Researcher and Collections Services at the Library of Congress. “She has raised awareness of collections, enhanced preservation efforts, and fostered collaborations with organizations devoted to film and media across the world.”
“The National Audio-Visual Conservation Center is a unique part of the Library – it’s responsible for the whole lifecycle of time-based media collections, from accession to reformatting to storage and access,” Sommers said. “Rachael’s vision and creativity will help us meet the moment as we race against time to preserve and make accessible the treasures in our care.”
One of Stoeltje’s most significant contributions, Sommers said, is her steadfast dedication to cultivating the next generation of professionals, including through her home institution and through professional associations.
“I look forward to working with the amazing, talented and skilled staff at the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, as well as with those across the Library of Congress, the National Preservation Boards and especially under the leadership of Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress,” Stoeltje said. “I am especially looking forward to addressing some of the many challenges facing our archives today with the fragility and lack of standardization of current born-digital media, AI technologies’ impact on authenticity and history in archival media, and more and more disasters facing our global archives. The big issues on the horizon are an important part of our future work, along with preserving and making accessible our nation’s moving image and sound recording cultural heritage.”
Stoeltje’s research interests include film history, media preservation and training and outreach for global education. Her most recent effort in this area was her 2023 publication of a book entitled “Tales from the Vaults: Film Technology over the Years and Across Continents.” Her latest endeavors have been launching a Preservation for Filmmakers program to ensure current productions are available to future generations and also the completion in 2023 of a yearlong series of events dedicated to the 100th year birthday of 16mm film, entitled A Century of 16mm.
Stoeltje earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from Indiana University. She also trained at the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film. She has expertise with early color photographic processes, a background in fine arts photography and extensive archival experience in film and video preservation.
