Amanda Cheung: From Catalogs to (Red) Carpets

In recognition of the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, The Latest presents a series of alumni profiles. These graduates of the UCLA Department of Information Studies are using their training in the University's MLIS program, to work and enhance innovation in the film industry, both at UCLA and beyond.

In her work as a librarian and credits researcher for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Amanda Cheung (’13, MLIS) has been able to use her MLIS degree from the UCLA Department of Information Studies to directly impact the day-to-day operations of the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library to provide reference services to patrons who are searching for scripts, film journals, and numerous bits of ephemera. In addition, Cheung helps to piece together the complex history of film through extensive research and her knowledge of world cinema. During Oscar season, she even has a hand in the film submissions process for the Academy Awards.

While a student in UCLA’s MLIS program, Cheung served as both a nitrate negative digitization project assistant and as a fellow for the Center for Primary Research and Training at UCLA's Charles E. Young Library Special Collections. Her professional experience includes working at The Jim Henson Company as a media library intern; an archival research assistant for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; and an archival volunteer for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. In addition to her duties at the Academy, Cheung has also worked as an intermittent librarian for the Los Angeles Public Library, and an as-needed reference librarian for the Santa Monica Public Library. 

Cheung earned her B.A. in film and media studies/French at UC Irvine and studied cinema and art history at the Université Bordeaux Montaigne. The Latest heard from Cheung on her experiences as a student in UCLA’s MLIS program, and how her love of film led to a position at the nation’s most prestigious film institution.

What is a typical day on the job for you?

Like in any reference library, it's hard to predict what kind of inquiries we will get. Prior to the pandemic, a typical day might include a shift at the reference desk, where I might walk a patron through navigating a database, then I might pull an issue of a film journal that someone has requested. Later, I might help someone over the phone to locate a copy of a particular film's script.  

While back at my own desk, I am usually catching up on clipping and indexing articles from periodicals for the library's Core Collection files. Depending on the time of the year, I might be helping with the film submissions process for the Academy Awards, or crouching beside a file cabinet (though in these work-from-home days, it's more like opening up a zillion browser tabs in a research database) in search of an old newspaper ad that might tell me whether or not an obscure French film actually received a theatrical release in Los Angeles, checking for a name buried in the end credits of a film for a research project, or editing credits data in an in-house database. 

What has most surprised you about your work as a librarian and credits researcher for the Academy?

Sometimes I find myself feeling really invested in the careers and lives of the filmmakers and artists, often previously entirely unknown to me, that I have come across in my research, even if I've never met them or if they were working in the industry decades ago. Combing through interviews, press kits, filmographies, and other information artifacts can be really inspiring because all this documentation is proof that they existed and wanted to contribute something worthwhile to the industry. I always hope to see their passion projects succeed, and for those creators who are long gone, I often wonder about the stories they had planned to tell that never came to fruition. 

I was also surprised to learn that there are so many film databases out there! I love international films so it's especially exciting for me to stumble upon databases in different languages from around the world. I even pick up some film vocabulary along the way. 

What attracted you to the MLIS program at UCLA? 

My mother was a librarian, so an MLIS degree was something I was aware of, and I knew that I really wanted to attend a master's program that offered in-person instruction because I wanted to meet people with similar interests, and somehow, I missed the feeling of sitting in college lectures. I was particularly drawn to the research expertise of UCLA faculty in the archival studies specialization, so it seemed like the perfect place for me to gain a solid foundation in the information studies field. 

How did you see a MLIS degree as a way into the film industry?

My undergraduate degree was in Film & Media Studies from UC Irvine, so I had hoped to eventually find work in an organization that combined my fields of interest. I have had a lifelong interest in film history and ephemera in general and have always thought of libraries and archives as places where traces of human legacies were kept, and where untold stories were waiting to be discovered, so I wanted to channel that into a career. UCLA's proximity to so many well-respected film and arts institutions was also a plus! 

What was most influential in your UCLA education, whether it be your professors, mentors, or fellow students?

Within the first few months of the program, I was matched with an amazing mentor who is also a UCLA alumna, and we are still in touch today. Like me, she had a film background, and she was working in a film archive, so pretty early on, I got a glimpse of the kind of career that could be someday attainable. 

I loved the flexibility of the IS program because I was able to tailor my coursework to my specific interests and took hands-on classes on topics such as moving image archives, preservation of heritage materials, and collections management. Internships, networking opportunities, as well as tours of the many cultural heritage institutions that were organized through the program were also invaluable in helping me get started in my career. I don't think I would have been able to meet so many people or gotten behind-the-scenes access to so many unique collections without UCLA.

What has been the most rewarding experience so far in your overall career?

I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go, but in this field, at least for me, sometimes it's as simple as being able to find the answer to someone's question, whether it be a patron or a colleague who is feeling a little stumped. It's such a thrill for me to make just a tiny, and hopefully positive, impact on someone's day or to help make their job just a little easier. Though not directly related to my work, I did get to see my favorite actor on the Oscars red carpet once, and that probably never would have happened had I pursued a different career. 

Photo courtesy of Amanda Cheung