The New York Times, via the San Francisco Bay Guardian, has this feature article today about renowned archivist Rick Prelinger’s annual showcase of films and other memorabilia of old San Francisco. The Library of Congress acquired most of Prelinger’s archive a celebrated collection of “ephemeral film” — industrial, educational, amateur and other film and video footage – in 2002. “Lost Landscapes of San Francisco” takes place this year on Thursday December 16 at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco.

If you don’t already have tickets, you’ll have to rely on the few walk-up tickets on sale the evening of the event. Or start planning to be there next year. Meanwhile you can browse thousands of clips from the Prelinger Archive at its Library of Congress site. And you can even find freely downloadable film of the four previous evenings of Prelinger films.