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Your programmer signed a loan agreement that includes film handling requirements. Most of it is repeated on the form that ships in the can as posted by Paul, but have them give you the actual agreement. Same goes for any archive you borrow from. You are responsible for fulfilling the agreement, so you need to read it yourself. The programmers / bookers may have no idea what is important to communicate to you.
You can also ask them for a condition report so you know what to expect from the print. They inspect everything on the way out and the way back in, so they should be able to provide one (we usually ask for a general condition before we book a print, and they are usually happy to provide a complete inspection report if requested). While their reports include footage counts, they do not expect you to do the same, and I would not attempt to do so to avoid the unnecessary wear. I don't even use a frame counter to check cue placement on archival prints if they have lab cues, to reduce the handling and risk of wear. I do a rough check based on the ~3' distance between 15" reels on a Kelmar table (three lengths, plus another 1' 12 frames... not as precise as a counter but close enough to be within the margin of error for a good changeover). Since you mention not having a good method to mount your frame counter I'm guessing you place it on the tabletop, offset from the film path, which is not great. Kelmar sells an adapter that allows you to mount a Nuemade film measuring on their tables with the correct 10 degree backwards tilt, so that the frame counter is in the film path without an lateral offset or twist. That's the best option for your Kelmar table. If you only have a tabletop film counter, I would check the cues or questionable countdowns at your hand rewind station so that you can place the counter in line with the film path.
I'm glad you're still planning on resolving your rewind and clutch issues... archives make you fill out a venue report but they really don't ask enough questions. They make sure you're running reel to reel, and sometimes ask about storage methods and security, but fail to ask about numerous other issues that could lead to print damage. Contrary to what Leo suggests, the LOC loves it when their prints get shown, as long as you take good care of them. In fact, if you ever meet Lynanne in person she'll probably go in for a hug! Haha. Couldn't ask for a friendlier archivist!
One fun quirk with the LOC is that they like to ship the prints tails-out, emulsion-out. And like most archives they do NOT permit you do a test screening or run any test reels, so you should plan to have someone checking the volume for the public presentation. I always make sure we have a second person in the booth besides the projectionist to coordinate the volume adjustments for archival shows... got burned too many times by people demanding my attention while I was watching for a reel change.
I've never had an archive deny my request to make a minor repair, but I have had them take multiple days to get back to me with an answer... Last year I think it took the better part of a week to get an answer from UCLA about two bad splices that I wanted to redo. Make sure you inspect it as soon as it arrives so there is enough turnaround time to communicate with the archive if any issues arise.
You can also ask them for a condition report so you know what to expect from the print. They inspect everything on the way out and the way back in, so they should be able to provide one (we usually ask for a general condition before we book a print, and they are usually happy to provide a complete inspection report if requested). While their reports include footage counts, they do not expect you to do the same, and I would not attempt to do so to avoid the unnecessary wear. I don't even use a frame counter to check cue placement on archival prints if they have lab cues, to reduce the handling and risk of wear. I do a rough check based on the ~3' distance between 15" reels on a Kelmar table (three lengths, plus another 1' 12 frames... not as precise as a counter but close enough to be within the margin of error for a good changeover). Since you mention not having a good method to mount your frame counter I'm guessing you place it on the tabletop, offset from the film path, which is not great. Kelmar sells an adapter that allows you to mount a Nuemade film measuring on their tables with the correct 10 degree backwards tilt, so that the frame counter is in the film path without an lateral offset or twist. That's the best option for your Kelmar table. If you only have a tabletop film counter, I would check the cues or questionable countdowns at your hand rewind station so that you can place the counter in line with the film path.
I'm glad you're still planning on resolving your rewind and clutch issues... archives make you fill out a venue report but they really don't ask enough questions. They make sure you're running reel to reel, and sometimes ask about storage methods and security, but fail to ask about numerous other issues that could lead to print damage. Contrary to what Leo suggests, the LOC loves it when their prints get shown, as long as you take good care of them. In fact, if you ever meet Lynanne in person she'll probably go in for a hug! Haha. Couldn't ask for a friendlier archivist!
One fun quirk with the LOC is that they like to ship the prints tails-out, emulsion-out. And like most archives they do NOT permit you do a test screening or run any test reels, so you should plan to have someone checking the volume for the public presentation. I always make sure we have a second person in the booth besides the projectionist to coordinate the volume adjustments for archival shows... got burned too many times by people demanding my attention while I was watching for a reel change.
I've never had an archive deny my request to make a minor repair, but I have had them take multiple days to get back to me with an answer... Last year I think it took the better part of a week to get an answer from UCLA about two bad splices that I wanted to redo. Make sure you inspect it as soon as it arrives so there is enough turnaround time to communicate with the archive if any issues arise.
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