Library of Congress Installs First INSPECTIONscan System

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Hands-on training for 20 archivists brings early film history back into view

In September 2026, the Library of Congress's National Audio-Visual Conservation Center (NAVCC) in Culpeper, Virginia, began operating its first INSPECTIONscan system. A Cube-Tec team was on site to deliver the training, which combined live, in-person instruction with remote sessions. About twenty archivists from various departments took part.

Jorg Houpert, Head of Technology at Cube-Tec, who led the training, was impressed by the participants' enthusiasm: "The archivists quickly discovered the wide range of functions INSPECTIONscan offers, and they were particularly taken with how gently it handles even highly fragile nitrate film."

At the end of the training, NAVCC archivists, alongside the trainers, scanned original footage from the Victorian Era, the famous 1896 Edison Kinetoskop A Morning Bath, making a piece of early film history visible again.

For archives, the goal is to access their film collections easily and fast while treating irreplaceable film material with the greatest possible care. This is exactly what INSPECTIONscan stands for.

from right to left Todd Mitchell and Courtney Holschuh - Library of Congress, Jorg Houpert - Cube-Tec