Font size options
Increase or decrease the font size for this website by clicking on the 'A's.
Contrast options
Choose a color combination to give the most comfortable
contrast.
Reel History: Celebrating Our 16mm Film Collection for Archives Awareness Month
10/6/25
In celebration of Archives Awareness Month, we are shining a light on one of our most unique resources: the 16mm Film Collection.
Public libraries have long served their communities beyond books. As new mediums and technologies are developed, libraries acquire new collections to connect patrons with information, culture, and creativity.
As early as the 1920s, public libraries established film departments to educate and entertain. The introduction of the smaller 16mm film gauge in 1923 opened new possibilities both in the production and screening of films. The smaller, more lightweight cameras opened filmmaking to a wider range of artists and fueled creativity in animation, documentary, educational, technical, experimental, and avant-garde works.
Additionally, portable projectors made it possible to bring films to audiences outside the standard theater experience. Screenings began popping up in auditoriums, community centers, schools, homes, restaurants, and parks — and soon libraries began to build film collections to serve and engage their communities in new ways.
The Miami-Dade Public Library System's 16mm film collection was started in 1956 under the direction of librarian Michel Anguilano.
With Anguilano’s expertise, the collection grew to be a notable source of cultural significance that was used as an artistic and educational resource for the community.
Today, few public libraries still have circulating 16mm film collections. Along the eastern seaboard, only three public libraries maintain active film collections: the New York Public Library, the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, and the Miami-Dade Public Library System.
This unique collection offers access to a visual world of art, literature, science, and history. It engages audiences to consider the importance of preservation and highlights the role libraries play in providing cultural programming.
Recently, we added a new film to our collection for the first time in over 30 years: a work by Miami-based, time-based media artist Barron Sherer. The film, Sketch No.1, Fire Station No. 9, had its premiere screening at the Miami Beach Regional Library on September 24.
Sherer’s film was shown alongside three films by Man Ray, a pioneering American artist known for his surreal photography and experimental films, active in the Dada and Surrealist movement during the 1920s and 1930s. The screenings were accompanied by live, original improvised scores provided by the experimental musicians Brom Lee & needle.
Artist Barron Sherer (center) introduces his work; musicians Brom Lee & needle (left) with their equipment for live scoring, Miami Beach Regional Library, September 24, 2025
The film collection has recently experienced a revival of attention through the Special Collections AV CLUB program, where attendees enjoy curated screenings and engage in discussions about history, archives, and preservation.
In the coming months, there are several exciting screenings scheduled, including a 16mm Film Seminar on Wednesday, October 22, at the North Dade Regional Library, where attendees can learn how to operate a projector.
On Saturday, October 25, we will be screening the 1920 classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari at the Main Library as part of a three-part series on the German Expressionism movement. Later in November, screenings will continue with Nosferatu and Metropolis.
On Saturday, December 13 and 20, we will feature two films by Luis Buñuel — Viridiana and The Exterminating Angel — as part of a series on Surrealism in cinema.
To find out more about upcoming AV CLUB events or to schedule a research visit to explore the 16mm film collection, visit our Special Collections page.