3-4-98

Contacts:
Tyler Walters, ISU Library, (515) 294-6672
Dalene Abner, ISU Foundation, (515) 294-8681
Steve Sullivan, News Service, (515) 294-3720

$100,000 ESTATE GIFT TO BENEFIT ISU LIBRARY'S FACTUAL FILMS

AMES, Iowa -- Elvira Manna, of New York City, the sister of animation innovator and industrial/educational film producer Albert Paganelli, has donated $100,000 from her estate to the American Archives of the Factual Film (AAFF), a special collection at the Iowa State University library.

Manna's gift will help the library preserve and provide access to its collection of 25,000 16mm business-sponsored, industrial, government and educational films.

The ISU library holds the Albert Paganelli Papers and Films. The collection consists of Paganelli's papers, original artwork, films and photographs.

Paganelli was a pioneer in the field of replacement art animation as well as a long-time producer of educational and industrial film and television animation, printed and hand-lettered titles, and film photography. While attending Cooper Union Art School from 1919 to 1924, Paganelli opened an animation studio in New York in 1920 and remained active in the field until his death. He received a patent for a film-splicing apparatus in 1925.

"The Manna gift could not have come at a better time. Libraries today are confronted with many challenges to preserve their films. It's a fragile medium that is very important because it carries so much of our modern cultural heritage. The Manna gift will support special projects to increase access to the AAFF films and to make sure that the best ones are well preserved," said Tyler Walters, head of the special collections department.

The gift is part of Campaign Destiny: To Become the Best, aligned with Iowa State's strategic plan to become the best land-grant university in the nation. Conducted by the ISU Foundation, the largest campaign in ISU history has a five-year goal to raise $300 million. The campaign has generated more than $236 million in outright and deferred contributions from 1995 through February 1998.

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Revised 3/4/98