by Richard Andress

In addition to the case files that were established for each film reviewed by State censors, the Archives also holds a variety of other records related to the Motion Picture Division and its activities. These include the following:

I. The Film Censorship Records in the New York State Archives

The most important of the censorship records at the New York State Archives are the case files that were established for each film reviewed by State censors. The case files contain the following information.

The New York State Archives preserves the largest collection of film scripts in the world. These scripts can be used to research the history of censorship in New York State and trace the shifting of American attitudes toward sex, religion and morality over the period.

Search the Motion Picture Division Film Script Index (1921-1965)

Request a copy of a script

You can download copies of the annual IMF by clicking on the links below.
Each file was compressed using WinZip.

Appendix D contains examples of the data forms that were completed by individual district, school, and BOCES officials. The information collected from the forms was used to create the IMF. This section does not contain a complete set of forms for the 1967-1981 IMF, but rather samples of the forms used to collect the data in the IMF. However, the forms which reflect the most common questions and formats used to collect IMF data. The forms are arranged in the following order:

Appendices A-C contain the physical file layouts and coding information for each record type included in the IMF. The sections are separated according to record type and then arranged in chronological order: Appendix A describes district records, Appendix B describes school records (public and non-public), and Appendix C describes intermediate district (Board of Cooperative Educational Services--BOCES) records.

You may use the table below to download individual sections of Appendices A-C in Word format. The sections range in size from 12 to 68 kb.

The State Archives reference staff will assist the researcher with locating the requested information and printed code books and will provide other necessary advice. The State Archives presently provides the following services to allow access to electronic records:

The State Archives is the final repository for many State government records. One of the Archives' primary responsibilities is to identify, preserve, and make available for research use the archival records of New York State government. Archival records are those records that have enduring legal, administrative, historical and educational, or other research value. Archival records no longer actively used by their creating agencies are transferred to the State Archives where their preservation and future accessibility are ensured.

The IMF data sets are rectangular flat files containing numeric and character data. The size of each file varies according to the reporting year. The 1967-1981 files are stored on two 2400 ft. magnetic tapes at 6250 bpi. The unit of analysis for all records within each file is the institution (the individual public or private school, BOCES, or District.)