The Vault will be launched on Wednesday 1 December at 1.30pm, by Middlesbrough Councillor David Budd, who is Councillor for the Ladgate Ward and a member of the Executive with responsibility for economic regeneration and culture, and the University鈥檚 Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (Research & External) Professor Michael Smith. They will be cutting celluloid tape round the front of the Vault. It is based near the University鈥檚 main entrance, off King Edward鈥檚 Square.
The Archive鈥檚 building has special temperature and humidity controls to protect older film reels and is attached to the University's new cinema where archive screenings take place. The Archive is used by commercial clients, academic researchers and members of the public. The Vault will be fully open to the public from January 2005. For information about access please contact Dr Brian Barker on 01642 382895, e-mail b.barker@tees.ac.uk
Alan Clarke, One NorthEast Chief Executive, said: "This vault is a wonderful asset for the North East - charting on film its history from the early 20th Century听and preserving these important images for future generations."
听Simon Popple, Assistant Director of the University鈥檚 School of Arts & Media and Archive Manager, added: 鈥淭his is a vital cultural asset for the University, local communities and the region as a whole. We are very pleased that it has come to fruition after a period of very hard work by all those individuals and agencies involved and now hope that its contents can be discovered and enjoyed by everyone.鈥�