There are millions of books in Ohio State's library system, but countless outdated media gems buried deep in the archives require the help of preservationists to return them to life.

Why it matters: Thousands of historic audiovisual items are kept at OSU, especially its special collections — and without digitization, these items largely sit unused and forgotten.

• "Unlike a book you can pull off the shelf, these items need to be in a format you can see," associate director of digitization Amy McCrory tells Axios.

Driving the news: This week, OSU hosts the 12th annual edition of Cinema Revival, a film festival celebrating the restoration work and bringing historic films to the big screen.

By the numbers: A 2020 assessment of OSU's special collections estimated they contained at least 15,000 reels of 16mm film, 10,000 CDs, 10,000 compact cassettes, 10,000 phonographs and more than 20,000 pieces of media in other formats.

Flashback: For years, OSU students and researchers outsourced digitization for their projects to specialist vendors who cost money and took weeks to process.

• In 2022, McCrory was given access to new funding to create "a new era for this department."

State of play: The new audiovisual preservation and digitization unit opened in 2023 and can now digitize everything from CDs and cassettes to more obscure open reel audio and U-matic tapes.

• They're still working on 16mm film and phonograph capabilities, both requiring expensive and specialized equipment.
• The team works on requests from students and staff (free of charge), combs through the archives and completes special projects sought by outside researchers.

Case in point: The digitization team recently helped writer Carla Kaplan listen to more than 150 audio cassettes for a biography about mid-1900s author and activist Jessica Mitford.

• Along the way, they've uncovered archival media about influential mime Marcel Marceau and Columbus folk artist Elijah Pierce.

The general public won't see much of the work done by the audiovisual preservation and digitization unit, but the annual Cinema Revival festival at the Wexner Center for the Arts allows this archival footage to shine.

What's inside: The lineup includes work spanning nearly a century, including:

• 3D movie "Money from Home," featuring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.
• One of Japanese director Mamoru Oshii's early live-action films.
• A collection of French shorts from the earliest days of video.
• Plus a new 70mm print of Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

What we're watching: The preservation team also put together a 75-minute spotlight that showcases some of its favorite items.

• Unit lead Tim Lanza's favorite is a collection of clips from "Porgy and Bess in Wien," a 1953 short film created as a counter to Soviet propaganda criticizing race relations in the U.S.
• Specialist Sarah Hartzell loved digitizing kinescopes of the 1950s WOSU show "The German Hour," which taught the language through sketch comedy and made her laugh "like a sitcom."

🎟️ If you go: Showings run from Feb. 26 to March 2.

• Festival passes start at $15 for students and are $42 for the general public.

Ohio high school athletes have been legally able to strike name, image and likeness deals for a few months, but a proposed law could make the practice short-lived.

Driving the news: House Bill 661, which would ban such deals, has a second hearing scheduled today.

Catch up quick: Ohio is one of 45 states allowing high schoolers to profit off NIL deals, which the NCAA has permitted for college athletes since 2021.

• The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced the new rule in November to align with national trends — and in response to legal pressure from a top OSU football recruit, junior Jamier Brown, from Huber Heights, near Dayton.
• Two Ohio House Republicans introduced HB 661 in late January.

What they're saying: "Ohio high school sports should be about a learning experience that is an extension of the classroom," Rep. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond), a cosponsor, said during a Feb. 3 news conference.

• "We don't spend public taxpayer money on stadiums and on weight rooms and on gymnasiums in order for them to be able to earn an employment and earn an income."

Ohio State's new University Hospital welcomed its first patients over the weekend as over 100 protesters demanded that Les Wexner's name be removed from it.

State of play: The debate over the billionaire donor's naming rights likely isn't going anywhere, amid renewed scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

• The university has received nearly 300 new formal requests to remove Wexner's name from its buildings, spokesperson Ben Johnson told Axios yesterday.
• The requests remain "under review."

💬 We want to know: Do you think Wexner's name should be removed from local buildings and landmarks?

• Respond to our poll here by noon Thursday.

Lots of you correctly guessed the location of yesterday's photo quiz — well done!

The answer: The mural honoring the Tuskegee Airmen — the first Black U.S. military pilots — is located at Rickenbacker International Airport, near the cell phone lot and a small memorial.

• Local artist Adam Hernandez completed the artwork in 2024.
• It prominently features base commander Col. Benjamin Davis Jr.

Context: Following World War II, the famed airmen were stationed at what is now Rickenbacker from 1946-1949.

• At that time, the base was named for the nearby village of Lockbourne.

The big picture: This mural is included in a new Murals Across Ohio map, part of the state's America 250 celebration happening all year long.

👏 Congratulations to reader Sue H., today's winner!