From the 1920s to the 1990s, American schools and businesses taught with filmstrips: millions of them, covering everything from reading and history to job safety and civics. Almost none have been preserved. I've spent years saving them, one at a time. Over 1,300 are now freely available on the Internet Archive. Anyone can watch them, for free, forever.

There are no tools built for this format. No institutions doing this work. Each filmstrip takes hours of manual scanning, color correction, and audio sync. Many are actively deteriorating; the film stock up until the 1970s turns deep red as it fades, and once it goes, it's gone permanently. I find new ones constantly on eBay, priced as wall décor by sellers who don't know what they have. I do this because nobody else will.

This month's goal is to keep the work moving. If you've ever cared about something disappearing before anyone could save it, this is that. Everything I've saved so far: https://uncommonephemera.org/collections