• July 31, 2007

The National Archives and Records Administration announced an agreement with Amazon's CustomFlix Labs to make thousands of historic films available for purchase on Amazon.com.

Through the non-exclusive partnership, CustomFlix will distribute made-to-order DVDs of the National Archives' Universal Newsreels, a collection of newsreels that cover worldwide events in politics, entertainment, fashion, sports and technology, dating back to 1920.

Using CustomFlix's DVD on Demand service, consumers will have access to film of historic moments such as the end of WWII and the death of FDR, with footage from the U.S. Defense Department and the U.S. Information Agency slated to become available in the near future.

Although the public can visit The National Archives research room in Maryland to view and copy films at no charge, "this new program will make our holdings much more accessible to millions of people who cannot travel to the Washington, D.C. area," said Allen Weinstein, archivist of the United States.

As part of the deal, CustomFlix Labs will also provide the National Archives with digital reference and preservation copies of the films that are sold, contributing to the agency's preservation program.