Digital-and-Audio-visual-Preservation-Information-Resources

DIGITAL AND AUDIO-VISUAL PRESERVATION: INFORMATION RESOURCES INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES FOR THE LONG-TERM PRESERVATION OF AND PUBLIC ACCESS TO AUDIO-VISUAL, INCLUDING DIGITAL AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS Prepared by: Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Submitted to: Movable Cultural Property Directorate, Department of Canadian Heritage August 2012 For useful Glossaries please see: http://www.media-matters.net/resources.html#glossaries Professional Associations Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - United States Key Publication: The Digital Dilemma 2: Perspectives from Independent Filmmakers, Documentarians and Non-profit Audiovisual Archives, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 2012 Available at: http://www.oscars.org/science-technology/council/projects/digitaldilemma2/ Please note: The Digital Dilemma is a sequel to and builds on The Digital Dilemma which was published in 2007 and focussed on the challenge posed by digital preservation for the major feature film companies The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also published a more technical study Long term Management and Storage of Digital Motion Picture Materials in 2008 Of particular significance: Non-profit Archives (pg 38-66) This chapter provides the best and most updated account of the impact and implications of digital audio-visual preservation for heritage organisations as of June 2012 While the publication has been written by recognized experts who are well acquainted with existing literature in the field, it is intended for a wide and general audience (i.e audio-visual executives, journalists, etc.), and is not therefore, overly technical in its language Based on an extensive survey that canvassed a cross section of several non-profit organizations, the publication applies the most current thinking in the field to the smaller non-profit audio-visual heritage context It also includes a selection of detailed case studies, which are provided in an appendix This is essential reading The only caveat is that the section on detailed case studies suggests that the average non-profit archive will have a staff of four or more, which is far above the Canadian reality Recommendations in The Digital Dilemma 2, within the Canadian context, would therefore apply to medium or large scale institutions with such staffing Nonetheless, some general advice will apply to both small and larger organizations in Canada The publication articulates clearly and documents objectively the repercussions that new digital technology is having on traditional preservation practices that remain oriented toward analogue film Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page heritage From the chapter on non-profit audio-visual archives, several key actions were identified as critical to digital-specific formats These include: migration to new media; redundancy (saving several copies); verifying data integrity; and, scheduling and managing preservation activities Data Storage Systems and Metadata Preservation metadata enables digital preservation by maintaining information such as file validity, access history and migration status Regarding storage systems, The Digital Dilemma cites a scalable approach to data storage that reflects the size of the organization in question and its resources While it is obviously important that all digital data is backed up, the method of how best to this will again differ according to the resources available to the organization Large archives use parent organization Information Technology (IT) departments to back up, while other organizations will develop their own systems For example, smaller organizations might duplicate files on portable hard drives but some respondents to the survey noted that they were able to create only one copy, because it was too expensive to manage two files, especially in the case of film, due to file size Policy The Digital Dilemma does make recommendations in key areas that pertain to the establishment of formal preservation policies and practices, as follows The audio-visual archival community should: 1 Adopt a tiered approach toward recommended file formats and codecs (E.g provide recommended formats according to varying resource capacities of institutions) For more information, see Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines (U.S.): www.digitizationguidelines.gov/ Establish in-house or co-operative digital reformatting facilities instead of out-sourcing for digitization Foster productive and reciprocal relationships with IT departments Develop affordable fee-based digital preservation relationship with bigger institutions (e.g partnership with larger libraries or other non-profits) Practice geographical dispersal Identify and use archive–oriented metadata and file management tools Identify and provide further education for staff in digital audio-visual preservation (workshops and best practices) Technical Support The Digital Dilemma authors point out that it is more convenient to store digital files on fully managed storage systems that are equipped with data tape drivers, rather than portable physical hard drives or recordable optical media Such smaller systems are more labour intensive, have a higher risk of human error and often suffer hard drive malfunction It is also acknowledged that simply storing digital information is not sufficient for its long-term preservation Data must be backed up and all material must go through verification processes The Digital Dilemma suggests the following as general best practices guidelines:  Data must be backed up after any changes have been made to the handling or migration of information; and,  Data must be duplicated to enable storage in different geographic locations p 54 p 46 Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page The survey noted that less than one third of the respondents practised geographical dispersal (also known as vault separation) In terms of verification, regular inspection of all digital files includes what is known as a fixity check, which verifies that a file has not been changed in any way The authors recommend that fixity checks be performed on a regular basis, due to the possibility of file corruption ( bit rot) However, regarding fixity checks and file validation, The Digital Dilemma survey also reported that while most respondents used checksum calculations, very few did them on a defined schedule The Digital Dilemma claims that small archives are not acquiring digital audio-visual records due to: fears around security issues (computer viruses, lack of resources to implement fixity checks); an inability to trust clear provenance (verification); the rapidity of technological obsolescence resulting in too many file formats to juggle; an inability to implement proper Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems that would store, preserve and stream audio-visual records; and, the lack of in-house software necessary to view digital files.4 For large institutions, any resistance to switch to digital is due largely to the expense required to retrofit equipment and establish new workflows Relationship with IT departments: Large and medium archives depended on IT department to store files and to use their workflows and resources A key problem rests within the incompatibility of audio-visual preservation policies versus the policies of IT departments, which are less oriented to preservation (i.e monitoring and a regular migration schedule) Ideal scenario: Archivists identify recommended digital preservation actions according to archival principles and the IT department implements, or recommends how best to achieve optimum preservation practices The Digital Dilemma concludes that the biggest challenges are keeping up with technology, employing trained staff, developing clear policy for migration plans (deciding how much really needs to be digitized), developing collaborative mechanisms to cope with the scope of the challenges, and of course, funding AMIA (Association of Moving Image Archivists) - United States www.amianet.org/ Established in North America in 1991, AMIA is a United States based organization that includes representation from both the audio-visual industry and the audio-visual heritage community AMIA expanded rapidly during the 1990s due to the vast increase in moving image archival activity in North America and the new interest of large film and television companies who suddenly viewed their archives as major sources of potential revenue rather than a storage expense AMIA conferences and workshops soon became the focal point for information exchange, education and debate among audio-visual archivists and the audio-visual industry AMIA’s focus on the moving image encompassed both film and television communities and reflected the trend to media convergence and has allowed AMIA to take a leadership role in the discussion about the impact of digital technology on audio-visual archives AMIA has a permanent secretariat, holds an annual conference, organizes workshops and has several working committees and task forces It publishes a professional journal, The Moving Image, and a newsletter, but its most distinguishing feature is its listserv Open to members and non-members alike, the p 62 p 55 Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page AMIA-L listserv has become the most popular information source for moving image archivists; first in North America and now throughout the world Many Canadian audio-visual archivists often identify the AMIA listserv as their major source of communication, not only with audio-visual archivists abroad but also with other Canadians , The Resource section on the AMIA website lists many useful publications; especially useful are those pertaining to best practices in analogue video, but there are few publications dated after 2008 One particular example is a series of factsheets, which cover major aspects of moving image archival practice in clear concise language; this is ideal for training purposes or for those being introduced to audio-visual preservation The Resource section also includes a glossary and key articles on analogue video preservation, written by internationally recognized experts Jim Wheeler and Jim Lindner Some examples are: Videotape Preservation Handbook, Jim Wheeler, 2002 Although written in 2002, this is still considered a key source for best practices on how to preserve analogue video tape Focused on preservation, the handbook includes best practice advice on care and handling techniques, reformatting, storage and vault conditions, risk management and emergency preparedness It concludes with a simple but useful list of Dos and Don’ts Free online at: www.amianet.org/resources/guides/WheelerVideo.pdf The Proper Care and Feeding of Videotape, Jim Lindner for Media Matters The publication is short and presents best practices in a straightforward way, aimed at small institutions Free online at: http://www.media-matters.net/aboutus.html Convert Your Analogue Videotapes To Digital – Now! Jim Wheeler, 2008 This 5-page document provides excellent advice from a leading international expert on how to convert analogue videotapes to digital material, focusing on best practice procedures and equipment It is aimed at institutions with small budgets and actually provides costs estimates for equipment circa 2008 Free online at: http//digitalfoward.net/white_papers09.pdf ARSC (Association for Recorded Sound Collections) - United States ARSC was established to serve the mutual interests and concerns of audio record collectors and its membership is predominately American as are its publications Although membership is required to gain access to most of the publications, the website does include a useful, updated and free online resource section on audio-visual training Education and Training in Audiovisual Archiving and Preservation lists classes, training programmes and courses on audio-visual archiving and preservation in the United States and throughout the world Available at: http://www.arsc-audio.org/ Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page CCAAA (Co-ordinating Committee of Archival AV Associations) - International The CCAAA is literally a co-ordinating committee for the major international audio-visual heritage organizations and also serves to promote and lobby for audio-visual heritage at the international level Its membership includes AMIA, FIAF, FIAT IASA, and SEAPAVAA, as well as the International Council of Archives (ICA) and IFLA Although the website includes mostly policy statements, there is also a publication on training that is of particular interest While the following publication is somewhat dated, it does provide a solid overview of needs related to audio-visual preservation, as well as recommendations for audio-visual training across the world Key Publication: CCAAA Strategic Framework for Professional Development, 2006 Available on: www.ccaaa.org CLIR (Council on Library and Information Resources) - United States CLIR is an independent, non-profit organization that forges strategies to enhance research, teaching and learning environments, as collaborations between libraries, cultural institutions, and communities While most of its publications are directed at more general library and archival functions and concerns, the website also promotes two studies that relate directly to audio-visual practices The following key publications are free online at www.clir.org: Magnetic Tape Storage and Handling: A Guide for Libraries and Archives, European Commission on Preservation (ECPA-closed in 2008) and Access and National Media Laboratory, 1995 The above guide provides very thorough technical advice for the preservation of analogue tape Structured Glossary, published by the Technical Assessment Advisory Committee to the ECPA, is a useful and extensive glossary of key preservation terms FIAF (International Federation of Film Archives) Founded in Paris in 1938, the Fédération internationale des archives du film (FIAF) is the oldest and most established international organization for audio-visual heritage It has a membership of over 120 film archives in 68 countries FIAF was established out of a concern that valuable film heritage would be lost if its preservation was left to commercial producers FIAF provides an important link and means of reconciliation between the oft competing interest of archives in preserving films and the interest of cinémathèques in screening them By binding all FIAF members to agreed upon conditions for preserving and screening films, FIAF established internationally recognized best practices for the loan and exhibition of films FIAF’s strong international representation was largely responsible for the drafting of the “Stockholm Declaration” issued by UNESCO in 1980 Entitled, “Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images”, the document requests all nations take measures to protect their film Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page heritage by establishing film archives and by adding film to existing legal deposit legislation The Stockholm Declaration effectively made preservation of audio-visual heritage a recognized international concern and responsibility FIAF has a full time secretariat, holds annual conferences, provides research support to its members and operates outreach activities In recent years, many FIAF members have been uneasy and critical about the switch to digital formats in place of film and in particular, for film preservation Consequently, international leadership in the field of audio-visual preservation for digital moving image is now taken up by Presto Centre and AMIA Key Publications, available on: www.fiafnet.org/uk/ include: Preservation Best Practices (2009) Recommendations on the Deposit and Acquisition of D-cinema (2010) This publication provides a good statement on the archival issues posed by the use of digital encryption for films FIAT (International Federation of Television Archives) Similar in scope, but much smaller than FIAF, FIAT was established in the 1970s by national archival institutions and national broadcasters with large holdings of broadcast recordings The membership is open to any organization or individual interested in promoting the preservation of broadcast heritage; it seeks to provide a forum for information exchange and co-operation among television archives and to develop strategies to advance the protection of broadcast heritage at a national and international level Key Publication: Archives at Risk Essentially a research program, this document provides an excellent summary of key elements for best practices within the various functions of audio-visual broadcast archiving, such as collection development, cataloguing, preservation and access Unfortunately, the links relating to sample documents and models of best practices for these functions are still listed on their website as “coming soon” Nevertheless the site is still useful for its overview and description of core requirements in audio-visual archiving Available on: http://www.archivesatrisk.org/cont/papers_collection.aspx IASA (International Association of Sound Archives) www.iasa-web.org/ Like FIAF for film, and FIAT for television, IASA was founded to advance the common interests of sound archives throughout the world IASA is widely recognized for its leading international role in developing digital standards for audio preservation through its publication IASA-TC 04 Key publication: Guidelines on the Production and Preservation of Digital Audio Objects, International Association of Sound Archives, TC04, 2nd Edition 2009 Available for purchase or to members upon joining IASA Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page Sound is the format for which the most universally acknowledged best practices have emerged; experts in the field cite this particular publication as the best source for best practices for digital audio It is an updated and expanded revised edition of an earlier IASA publication, IASA-TC03 (now free online), which covered both analogue and digital materials Because technical standards for audio were resolved by 2005, this can be considered a definitive publication; it sets the standard for what should be done to best preserve these acquisitions Widely recognized by the professional heritage community, the publication is very technical, and may in fact be considered too technical or advanced for smaller organizations or those institutions where audio represents a small portion of overall holdings However, the book is particularly noteworthy for the chapter, Small Scale Approaches to Digital Storage, which includes equipment, techniques and software advice The question of risk management is also addressed throughout the book, as well as the production of access copies, as it is noted that ‘long term access is the product of appropriate preservation.’ The publication does not, however, address copyright or acquisition-related issues IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) Key publication, free online at: http://archive.ifla.org/V11/s35/pubs/avm-guidelines04.htm Guidelines for Audiovisual and Multimedia Materials in Libraries and other Institutions, International Federation of Library Associations, 2004 This is the only significant publication from IFLA pertaining to audio-visual heritage Although somewhat dated (2004), and general in scope, the document does provide good advice on some key areas, including budgeting, which is rarely mentioned in other studies As a library publication, it has more of an access orientation and includes a useful section on copyright and licensing Media Matters - United States http://www.media-matters.net/aboutus.html Media Matters is the name of a consultancy company headed by the internationally recognized audiovisual preservation expert, Jim Lindner This company developed the SAMMA system, which is widely used to convert analogue video to digital file formats The company is also a partner in Presto Centre and is involved in several of its projects including: An Integrated Solution for AV Preservation and Access and the Digital Video Preservation Reformatting Project The Media Matters website is noteworthy for its excellent Resources Section http://www.mediamatters.net/resources.html This section of the website includes selected articles on the following topics: Digital Asset Management, Metadata, Digital Files, Digital Preservation, Digital Storage, Wrapper/Container File Format, Videotape Reformatting, and Traditional Audio-visual Preservation The Resources section also includes a heading for Glossaries, which provides links to key glossaries produced by various audio-visual heritage organizations and experts MIC (Moving Image Collections) - United States http://gondolin.rutgers.edu/MIC/ Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page Moving Image Collections (MIC) is affiliated with the Library of Congress and AMIA; its key foci are education, preservation and access to audio-visual materials The MIC site is hosted in collaboration with their sponsors, AMIA and the Library of Congress MIC is essentially an integrated online catalogue of moving images collections held by a variety of organizations, (including libraries, museums, archives and television broadcasting companies), which are accessed through a portal The Archive Directory on the MIC site provides information on various archives and their policies on access, including preservation, copyright and donor issues The goal of the MIC portal is to provide access to moving image collections for educators, researchers, exhibitors, and the general public The portal also “allows preservationists to collaborate in describing and maintaining this unique cultural resource and thus avoid costly duplication of effort.” Another important goal of MIC is “to bring a very flexible but standardized metadata architecture to the diverse resources necessary to integrate moving images into the information mainstream with the understanding that society values most highly what it understands and uses.” Access is addressed most obviously through the following:  Union catalogue of moving images, including films, videos, and digital streaming video  Searchable directory of organizations with moving image collections  Portals for archivists, educators and other communities  Search displays combining information about services and access to collections with title and collection information Cataloguing Resources Many small-scale repositories lack the infrastructure to catalogue effectively Utility is a front-end input form that allows a participating organization to create a record directly in a core format, feed that record into a mapping utility and the export utility, and then export the record to the home database The idea is to provide a downloadable database in open source or low-cost RDBMS that support both Dublin Core and MPEG MIC provides examples of how the MPEG Database will be designed, and importantly, how to map between MPEG and Dublin Core SEAPAVAA (South-East Asia-Pacific AV Archives Association) (International) SEAPAVAA was founded in 1996 as an association of organizations and individuals involved or interested in the development of audio-visual archives in the countries of Southeast Asia It is now a member of Coordinating Council of Audio-visual Archive Associations and provides an organizational model for other regions Key publication available free online at http://archives.pia.gov.ph/seapavaa/: Basic Manual on Setting Up an Archive, See website: http://gondolin.rutgers.edu/MIC/ Ibid It should also be noted that MIC offers a Preservation Portal, which links to a vast number of resources Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page The manual could be of universal interest to smaller regional audio-visual archives and is described on the website as follows: “Still a work in progress, this manual aims to provide the region with basic reference material on various areas covering the relevant background information.” It lays the basic groundwork for issues relevant to the setting up of audio-visual archives and also provides solutions or recommendations specific to the concerns of individual archives depending available resources UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) UNESCO defines its role in audio-visual preservation as working with major international audio-visual organizations to support the following: production of policy statements and position papers; exchange of information; and, implementation of projects which support audio-visual archives throughout the world UNESCO supports and promotes the World Day for International Audio-visual Heritage Key publication: Audiovisual Archiving: Philosophy and Principles, Ray Edmondson, 2004 Available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001364/136477e.pdf This was first published in 1998 and revised in 2004.The revised version reflects the changes that have occurred in the audio-visual archiving field in the intervening period, ranging from the challenges of digitization and rapid technological changes This document presents a case for viewing audio-visual archives as a distinct profession and discipline and is widely recognized and cited as the best articulation of audio-visual principles and philosophy European Audio-visual Heritage Projects Arts and Humanities Data Service (AHDS) – United Kingdom Key publication: Digital Moving Image Images and Sound Archiving Study, Arts and Humanities Data Service (AHDS), 2006 Free online at: http://www.ahds.ac.uk/about/projects/archiving-studies/moving-images-sound-archivingfinal.pdf A detailed and major research publication, Digital Moving Images and Sound Archiving Study was acknowledged as the leading report of 2006, and it has been referenced in several other studies researched Leading international experts participated or were consulted in this report, including Richard Wright from the British Broadcasting Corporation and Carl Fleischhauer-Library of Congress) The findings of the study are oriented toward those already familiar with audio-visual digital terminology and these have been updated in subsequent studies now found on Presto Centre; AHDS no longer exists as its funding was cut in 2007 The recommendation that working groups be established to monitor technology change has since been followed by Library of Congress and others Perhaps the most significant and useful contribution of the study is that it situates the particular dilemma of digital moving images within the broader overall context of digital preservation, such as might pertain to textual documents Chapter 8: Life Cycle and Organisational Models, ties digital audio-visual best practices to overall best practices “The OASIS offers a functional model for any digital preservation ….this section is designed to provide practical and useful advice for preservation and curation of audio- Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page visual collections” (emphasis added).8 The study identifies best practices for audio-visual materials at each stage of the digital lifecycle approach and applies them to an audio-visual preservation environment The best practices listed thus provide a useful set of instructions that could be used by audio-visual archivists in discussions with their own IT departments, where applicable Digital Agenda for European Film Heritage Key publication: Challenges of the Digital Era for Film Heritage Institutions, 2011 Free online at: http://www.dae-filmheritage.eu/final-study.html This 150 page report on the implications of a digital environment for film heritage is focused primarily on the film industry and hence its recommendations concerning best practices are limited in application Much of the information confirms findings presented in the key publications produced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Digital Dilemma and The Digital Dilemma 2), with the, exception of Challenges of the Digital Era for Film Heritage Institutions, which pertains to the European context This section provides some useful information on calculating the cost of digital moving image preservation Erpanet (Electronic Resource and Preservation and Access Network) - Europe ERPANET was an information network focused on issues of digital preservation at large (not just audiovisual concerns) and was part of the Information Society Technologies (IST) of the European Commission Although its website has not posted any articles after 2007, the series of guides ( ERPA Guidance) are still quite useful in determining the requirements for long term digital preservation, including audio-visual material The introduction states that these guidance tools were designed “to enable institutions to approach their digital preservation challenges proactively” ERPANET’s digital preservation policy work is still cited in contemporary publications and reports and is available on Presto Centre Key publications: Guides on: Ingest Strategies, Costing Orientation, Selecting Technologies, Digital Preservation Policy, Risk Management Available online at: http://www.erpanet.org/guidance/index.php InterPARES (International Research on Permanent Authentic Records in Electronic Systems) InterPARES is a Canadian-funded international study focusing on the authenticity of digital records As stated on its website, the organization “aims at developing the knowledge essential to the long-term preservation of authentic records created and/or maintained in digital form and providing the basis for standards, policies, strategies and plans of action capable of ensuring the longevity of such material and the ability of its users to trust its authenticity.” Digital Moving Image Images and Sound Archiving Study, Arts and Humanities Data Service (AHDS), 2006, p 92 Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 10 Key publications, both free online at http://www.tape-online.net Tracking the Reel World: a Survey of Audio-visual Collections in Europe, Edwin Klijn and Yola de Lusenet, 2008 Audiovisual Research Collections and their Preservation, Dietrich Schuller, 2008 TAPE has an excellent website with good articles that cover preservation for audio-visual materials found within minority collections, that is, material held outside of major national institutions, those without specific responsibilities for audio-visual heritage TAPE conducted a survey of such collections within Europe (2008), part of a 3-year project funded by the EU under Culture 2000 that produced researched publications and held workshops and meetings focused on the preservation of audio-visual collections in myriad formats, all of which require specific playback equipment., The mission statement reads: “TAPE aims to contribute to action plans for preservation of the audiovisual heritage by laying the groundwork for a programme for awareness-raising and training of nonspecialists.” The goal is to provide hands-on training and support materials to allow for both preservation and access to audio-visual material for those places that hold non-commercial audio-visual material and not specialize in preservation of or access to such material, including archives, museums and academic institutions Partners in TAPE included: European Commission on Preservation and Access (ECPA), Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Finnish Jazz and Pop Archive (JAPA), Helsinki, Finland; The Head Office of State Archives Poland, Warsaw, Poland; Phonogrammarchiv, Austrian Academy of Sciences (PHA(OEAW)), Vienna, Austria; and, Reproduction, Binding and Restoration Centre for the State Archives of Italy (CFLR), Rome, Italy The consortium published seven items, including the aforementioned and highly significant survey of minority audio-visual collections in Europe, ‘Tracking the reel world’ Based on data collected from hundreds of organizations from all over Europe, most of them archives, libraries, museums and research institutes that hold audio-visual recordings as minority collections, this was the first extensive report on preservation and access of sound and moving image materials outside the broadcasting sector and large audio-visual archives All post-2006 publications are now found on Presto Centre The TAPE website also provides online links to 170 literature references, resources on preservation and digitisation of audio-visual materials Audio-visual Heritage Institutions Library and Archives Canada (LAC) Available online, LAC has posted the following reports: Audio-visual Migration Strategy, Digital Preservation Strategy, and Local Digital Format Registry They are to also post the Motion Picture Film Digitization Strategy Available at: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/preservation/003003-1100-e.html Library of Congress: National Audiovisual Conservation Center - United States Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 12 The U.S Library of Congress has the largest audio-visual collection in the world and has taken a leadership role into research on both analogue and digital audio-visual preservation and access It established the Audiovisual Working Group in 2008 to “identify, establish, and disseminate information about the standards and practices for the digital reformatting of audio-visual materials by federal agencies The acceptance of a common body of digitization standards and practices will provide the public with products of uniform quality, set common benchmarks for digitization service providers, support content preservation for the long term, and facilitate the exchange of findings from related research.” 10 More information available on: http://www.digitizationguidelines.gov/audio-visual The Library of Congress seeks to use its research expertise to assist with the application of digital technology to its holdings and to use its experience to further the establishment of best practices and standards Its site is frequently used by those with more advanced experience and expertise in moving image digital technology Key publication: Sustainability of Digital Moving Formats (includes sound and moving image) http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/formats/index.shtml NARA (National Archive & Records Administration) - United States NARA is recognized for its newsreel and government audio-visual holdings, but its research focus is more on the overall question of digital preservation for government records NARA has published an article by staff archivist, Steve Greene, which provides an informative historical overview of the challenges of audiovisual preservation from traditional analogue to current digital formats Key publication: Chasing Technology: The Challenge of Preserving Audiovisual Records http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2007/summer/technology.html National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF) - United States Key publication free on line at: http://filmpreservation.org/preservation-basics/the-film-preservation-guide Film Preservation Guide, National Film Preservation Foundation, 2004 This book is universally acknowledged and cited by heritage professionals as the source for best practices in film preservation; it was the winner of the 2005 Preservation Award granted by the Society of American Archivists As noted in the book’s introduction, its aim is to provide “the primer for professionals trained in archival studies, librarianship or museum work, or subject field but unschooled in this technical speciality….[it] introduces film preservation to non-profit and public institutions that have collections of motion picture film but lack information of how to take care of them.” 11 While focusing on hands-on preservation, the guide also covers acquisition and access and includes comments on donor agreements and licencing (although the section on copyright is predictably based on US practice) It also has advice for equipment and technical services, though these are out-dated 10 11 www.http://libraryofcongress.gov Film Preservation Guide, National Film Preservation Foundation, 2004, p vii Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 13 See also the entry for Folkstreams, a website that produced online video tutorials designed as a training companion to the Film Preservation Guide National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) - Australia http://www.nfsa.gov.au/ The National Film and Sound Archive - Australia (NFSA) is a valuable source for best practices in moving image and sound archiving in terms of applicability to the Canadian context The NFSA shares a similar legal, legislative and even demographic profile to that of Canada and is widely accepted as the model of what a national audio-visual archive can and should be Recognized throughout the world as an organization that establishes leading practices, this archive has developed a progressive acquisition program by which it acquires materials posted on YouTube Key Publications: The NFSA has recently published (2011) two documents that are useful: Preservation Strategy 2010-2012 and Collections Policy These documents can be accessed at: http://www.nfsa.gov.au/about/information-publication-scheme (see “Developing the Collection”) Preservation Strategy breaks down the holdings of the NFSA into material categories (analogue film, video and sound), and also separates out the digital holdings 12 yet the overall strategic principles and goals applies to all Attachment B from Preservation Strategy provides a very useful chart that contains detailed digitisation standards for audio, still images, video and film, all of which could be cited as best practice in these areas Interestingly the section on film is blank (as of March 2012) and cited as “under development” The Collections Policy document is both recent and detailed (53 pp.) It covers acquisition and preservation, plus access and outreach policy Of particular interest is a segment on de-selection, which details policies and procedures that could be used for establishing priorities for digitization and potential de-accessioning The document also has considerable detail on acquisition by deposit, which could be considered a best practice for those institutions that still accept materials under deposit agreements 13 Risk management can be applied as an overall management approach to all policies, but also specifically in terms of disaster preparedness for archival holdings This is touched upon throughout both documents, and is used both generally (can be applied to any policy) and specifically (pest control and disaster preparedness) NFSA has also produced an excellent preservation resource, the Film Preservation Handbook, which is available free on line at : http://nfsa.gov.au/preservation/handbook This handbook covers the same terrain as the National Film Preservation Foundation’s Film Preservation Guide, but often in more detail The Australian handbook is focused strictly on aspects of preservation and includes useful advice on technical and physical details, including cold storage Finally, the NFSA also has a very useful online guide entitled “Tracking down the Copyright Holder: Hints and Tips” which, although written in the Australian context, provides advice that might be adapted to other countries and therefore could be considered a best practice guideline Note also that the policies and procedures outlined are scalable to different sizes and types of organizations 12 13 See p 6-9 See p 11-12 Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 14 National Information Standards Organization – United States Key publication free online at: http://www.niso.org/publications/rp/framework3.pdf A Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections, 3rd edition, National Information Standards Organization, 2007 This is a detailed, only somewhat dated (2007), yet incredibly thorough exploration of good practices relating to digital collections in general, but is not specific to audio-visual material The study is targeted at large size libraries and provides a list of eight common sense guides for building good digital collections, all of which are then grounded through references to published standards literature (web addresses provided for each) The section on intellectual property rights (pg 13) is likewise very useful Media Art Organizations and Museum Consortiums BAVC (Bay Area Video Collective) - United States Key publications: Playback (2003 DVD) + Glossary of Terms – http://bavc.org BAVC is the largest non-profit media art organization in the United States The centre offers consultation and constructive methodology on the following: Archival Collection Assessment, Preservation Planning and Cataloguing and Metadata In 2003, BAVC produced a DVD called PLAYBACK: A Preservation Primer for Video, which discusses the causes of videotape deterioration, recommendations for effective methods of storage and cleaning, and other conservation issues that apply to electronic art They also produced a Glossary of Terms to help standardize the terminology used in video preservation, and so as to also allow practitioners to better identify the deterioration of magnetic videotape BAVC compiled their Glossary from both academic scholarship and scientific literature and it contains a bibliography of books, brochures and articles that were consulted in order to produce the succinct terms BAVC began operating a preservation service in 2004; The Pamela and Richard Kramlich Audio Preservation Center allows non-profit organizations, museums, artists and musicians to work with fragile media art materials and it is committed to preserving the heritage contained both within the works and of the art form Preservation Services lists client consultation, and cleaning and archival transfer of analogue videotape formats, including 1/2" Open Reel, 3/4" U-matic and U-matic SP, VHS Tapes, 3/4, Hi-8, Video8, S-VHS/ VHS, Betamax, MiniDV The Preservation Centre can transfer to physical carrier formats including: Digital Betacam, DV Cam, Betacam SP, 3/4", SVHS/VHS, or DVD They also offer archival transfer to digital files with associated metadata It also offers logged documentation of signal imperfection, Image/Audio correction, and, some additional services, including restoration and title slates BAVC Preservation rates are low because they are subsidized with support from the National Endowment from the Arts, individual donors and other funders DOCAM Research Alliance (Documentation + Conservation of Media Art Heritage) - Canada The DOCAM Research Alliance existed between 2005- 2010; it was an international research platform established within the Daniel Langlois Foundation DOCAM fostered international partnerships that have produced key preservation and access information, primarily focused on media art with a museum focus Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 15 A number of papers remain critically important to the ongoing research and development of preservation initiatives for media art An excellent archive of the research can be found via: www.fondation-langlois.org, or www.docam.ca EAI (Experimental Arts Intermix) - United States A video art preservation pioneer that encompasses analogue and digital materials, EAI supports the creation, exhibition, distribution and preservation of video art and digital art It was founded in 1971 as one of the first non-profit organizations in the United States that was dedicated to the support of video as an art form; EAI has thus played a pioneering role in the history of media art It continues to foster the creation, exhibition, distribution and preservation of video art and digital art projects 14 EAI has a collection of video art that spans from the mid-1960s to the present and is recognized as one of the most comprehensive video art collections in the world 15 In 1973, the Artists' Videotape Distribution Service was established to promote and expand video-based art internationally EAI then undertook a pioneering initiative that began to catalogue the works in the media art collection in preparation for their conservation; In 1986, the EAI Preservation Program began actively restoring and archiving the collection; it was one of the first such programs in that addressed the preservation needs of an independently housed video art collection of great significance, in order to keep the work in circulation EAI has collaborated with IMAP on Preservation projects; of interest is the EAI Archives Online For more information, go to: http://www.eai.org Experimental TV Centre – United States Key online initiatives: Video History Project and Video Preservation Basics Available at: http://www.experimentaltvcenter.org/history/index.html The Video History Project began in 1994 and was intent on becoming a conduit for what was called ‘an inclusive media history’ that would allow ongoing access to electronic media art and all connected materials that might create what archivists call a fonds The Experimental TV Centre wanted to provide access to such research materials for a wide cultural community and thus, increase awareness of independent media artworks while building alliances The organization has a strong educational focus The Video History Project fostered several initiatives, including research, conferences and the construction of the Experimental Television Centre website, which is now expansive It also produced one of the first extensive video preservation research reports, which is available online 16 Film Forever – United States Key publication: The Home Film Preservation Guide for Independent Filmmakers 14 Detailed information on the early years of EAI and the video art movement has been documented as A Kinetic History: The EAI Archives Online 15 The works in the collection range from seminal videos by pioneering figures—Nam June Paik, Bruce Nauman, Martha Rosler and Joan Jonas—to new digital works by emerging artists, including Seth Price, Paper Rad, Cory Arcangel and Takeshi Murata 16 IMAP refers to EAI (Electronic Arts Intermix), and ETC (Experimental Television Center), as collaborators in the documentation and preservation of video art and community television Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 16 This is a hands-on guidance to do-it-yourself film preservation with a 12-part guide that includes: Resources and Links; Glossary of Terms; Frequently Asked Questions on Amateur and Small Gauge Film; Standards and Guidelines for Film and Videotape; FAQs on Video Format Preservation; a Video Preservation Fact Sheet; and, a link to the much referenced Videotape Preservation Handbook, written by Jim Wheeler Available free online at: http://www.filmforever.org or through links to the AMIA website: www.amianet.org Folkstreams (see also National Film Preservation Foundation) - United States Video Aids to Film Preservation, Folkstreams, 2005 The Folkstream production of Video Aids to Film Preservation, was produced as a visual guide, to the Film Preservation Guide, which was itself produced by the National Film Preservation Foundation in 2004 Video Aids to Film Preservation is essentially a series of video clips that are organized by the same title and chapter headings that are outlined in Film Preservation Guide; the two sources are intended to be used together and the widely quoted Guide has definitely been further strengthened by these online tutorials Although essentially intended for the preservation of film, Folkstreams’ Video Aids to Film Preservation also includes sections on the preservation of analogue audio and video cassette tapes, which would be useful for most institutions or smaller organizations that have collections comprised from these formats; it addresses 8mm,16mmm, and 35mm film, as well as common video and cassette formats It is important to note that the Folkstreams video aids are useful to a wide range of organizations, and could therefore be considered scalable The Folkstream Guide to Best Practices in Film Digitization (2010), addresses workflow and access issues and is also available free online at: http://www.folkstreams.net/vafp IMAP (Independent Media Art Preservation) - United States Key publication: Preservation 101 Toolkit Available free online at: http://www.imappreserve.org An international resource for preservation of independent electronic media collections; the Preservation 101 Tool Kit (created in partnership with EAI), addresses film, audio, video and digital The website links to Information Resources, including ECPA, CoOL, BAVC, AMIA, ScreenSound Australia, and the Universal Preservation Format Glossary IMAP, the Independent Media Arts Preservation, Inc., was born out of a recognized need for a single organization to take the lead in advocating and providing information for the preservation of independent media It was evident to members of the media arts community, the performing and visual arts communities, and the fields of conservation, archival and library sciences, that there was a dearth of ritical Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 17 information available, and the resources necessary to save culturally important moving image artworks simply did not exist.17 IMAP is a non-profit service, education and advocacy organization committed to the preservation of noncommercial electronic media, particularly work housed outside of large and established organizations or archives Originally a NYC-based consortium of arts organizations, IMAP is now a national resource that addresses diverse media collections found in institutions, organizations, and also with individuals, be they collectors or artists themselves “IMAP provides archivists, artists, conservators, curators, distributors, librarians, media makers, producers, registrars, scholars, and other professionals with accessible solutions to document and preserve media collections.”18 This includes, thus, small scale organizations such as museums, art centers, dance and theatre companies, libraries, university departments, non-profit distributors and public television stations To assist with the stewardship of independent media art, IMAP has developed preservation practices and techniques that include description and cataloguing, education and training to assist with the stewardship of independent collections The Preservation 101 Toolkit addresses film, audio, digital media and video formats and includes segments on Condition Assessment, Preservation Priorities, Cleaning, Reformatting, Storage, and Disaster Planning Other projects include the development of the IMAP Cataloguing and Rehousing Template (a standards-based cataloguing tool created by Jim Hubbard) IMAP hosted the Cataloguing Project on its website in 2001 The IMAP website also includes links to publications with hands-on preservation information, including: AMIA (Association of Moving Image Archivists), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), American Institute for Conservation (AIC), Electronic Media Group (Stanford University) , Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), and to government-sponsored organizations like the National Center for Film and Video Preservation at the American Film Institute With a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, IMAP also conducted an online survey in 20072008 to determine the scope of institutions holding obsolete video playback equipment This survey sought to gage interest in several potential projects in the future, including: an online registry of playback equipment, the creation of a template that could be used to help inventory and catalogue such equipment, and the initiation of a cooperative effort to share parts and expertise INCCA (International Network for the Conservation of Contemporary Art) Key publications:    The Net Art Restoration Project Inside Installations: The Preservation and Presentation of Installation Art; and The Artists Database INCCA is a network of professionals connected to the conservation of modern and contemporary art which includes support for the work of independent media artists Conservators, curators, scientists, registrars, archivists, art historians and researchers are among those in its membership; the consortium is composed primarily of museums The founding members were: Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage 17 Visionary, Mona Jimenez, an artist and media preservation specialist, began this important work in 1999, after initial meetings with EAI (Electronic Arts Intermix – also discussed in this summary) and WNET/13 in New York Mona Jimenez was also a consultant on a feasibility study for the media art collection held by the National Gallery of Canada, along with Pip Laurenson from the Tate Modern 18 See website: http:///www.imapreserve.org Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 18 (ICN), Amsterdam; Tate Gallery, London; Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Ghent; Restaurierungszentrum der Landeshauptstadt, Düsseldorfl Solomon Guggenheim Museum, New York/Bilbao; Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi/ Konservatorskolen, Copenhagen; Fundacio ‘La Caixa’/Centre Cultural de Barcelona; Galeria d’Arte Moderna, Turin; Academy of Fine Art/Faculty of Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art, Warsaw; Museum Moderner Kunst/Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna; and Foundation for the Conservation of Contemporary Art, (SBMK) The Netherlands The consortium has morphed since the initial establishment of INCAA in 1997 and now includes a NorthAmerican chapter, INCCA-NA, established in 2008 The organization is “dedicated to developing knowledge through collaborations between artists, art professionals and collectors that will ensure the preservation of modern and contemporary art and provide educational programs for a wide public audience in North America.” 19 In December of 2012, INCCA-NA received a $65,000 grant from The Andrew W Mellon Foundation for the Artist Interview Project Online the organization reports on several case studies they have conducted in the past It must be noted that INCAA-NA is devoted to access as education and is currently developing methodology toward the restoration of video and new media artworks The strategies of INCAA-NA are to:  Create and collect meta-data records and unpublished documents for the INCCA Database for Artists’ Archives;  Disseminate information via a continually up-dated website;  Promote common methods and vocabularies for conserving modern and contemporary art;  Promote artist interviews and technical analysis as important methods for collecting information on artists’ materials, techniques, and conceptual intent;  Develop and implement collaborative research projects to create new knowledge, promote good practice, and professional and educational tools;  Share this new knowledge through symposia, meetings, and workshops on INCCA-NA and topical issues; and,  Encourage students to become active in INCCA-NA projects Research projects from INCCA include the EU projects pertaining to net-based artworks: Net Art Restoration Project (1997), which was conducted in partnership with Media Matters; and, Inside Installations: The Preservation and Presentation of Installation Art 20 It is believed that the EU project, Digital Dossier for Marina Abramovic (2005) by Free University, Amsterdam, in conjunction with Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage, (ICN), Netherlands Media Art Institute, Foundation for the Conservation of Contemporary Art, SBMK inspired the current INCCA-NA endeavour, Artist Interview Project.21 19 http://www.incca-na.org/ Last accessed February 14, 2012 20 This project was initialized in order “to raise awareness of the requirements of these works and to provide a practical response to the need for international agreement among museums.” 21 It is widely understood in the arts community that in order to assure long-term preservation of new media technologydependent art, artist interviews should be conducted at the point of acquisition into any collection INCAA-NA describes this in the project’s description as follows: “Increasingly over the 20th century into the 21st century, artists have experimented with an unprecedented range of new materials and technologies – often with untested longevity and built-in obsolescence leading to instability The critical need to engage artists, their fabricators and estates in developing preservation strategies has led to an Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 19 More information is available at: www.incca.org and http://www.incca-na.org/ Little Film – United States Little Film is focused on small gauge and home movie preservation best practices, including identification of early (obsolete) formats and storage concerns; the guidelines are very practical This organization is devoted to amateur film and home movies as valuable “unique and important to the history of our culture.” A lengthy informative article written by Toni Treadway can be found on the website; it discusses preservation issues, the history of changing film gauges, and includes information on audio tape and videotape, all in simple and accessible language The thrust of the article establishes why home movies are important while also providing advice on how to best to care for old film works, how to identify advanced deterioration, when to chose alternate storage, and how to avoid creating orphan films For more information: http://littlefilm.org http://www.lux.org.uk/resources/keep-moving-images/introduction [Taking this out because when get to link I found text says “This resource section was written in 2005 so does not take account of issues related to new moving image technologies such as HD and file preservation’] Matters in Media Art The consortium of museums (MoMA, SFMoMA, and the Tate Gallery) produced the following key publication: Media Matters: Collaborating Towards the Care of Time-Based Media Works of Art (excellent best practices) and also collaborated on INCCA’s Net Art Restoration Project to produce best practice guidelines for new media installation Matters in Media Art: Collaborating toward the Care of Time-based Media In 2003, a consortium of curators, conservators and media technicians from the New Art Trust, MoMA (NYC), SFMOMA (San Francisco), and the Tate (UK) established “a multi-phased project designed to provide guidelines for care of time-based media works of art (video, film, audio and computer-based installations).” It produced this report entitled, Media Matters: Collaborating Towards the Care of Timebased Media Works of Art In 2004, best practices for loaning time-based media works, were established A second project addressed the skills required for the installation of new media works 22 For more information, go to the websites of any of the collaborating organizations, including:  Tate: http://www.tate.org.uk/research/tateresearch/majorprojects/mediamatters/  Museum of Modern Art: moma.org/explore/collection/conservation/media_art  San Francisco Moma: www.sfmoma.org/pages/research_projects_matters_in_media  INCCA: www.incca.org/projects/64-current-projects/213-matters-in-media-art increasing demand for interview skills in the complex task of obtaining information from “guided conversations” The Artist Interview Project will provide this training 22 Net Art Installations, in collaboration with INCCA; see Summary of Findings: Preservation – Digital Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 20 NIMk (Netherlands Media Art Institute) - Netherlands Suffering serious cuts in 2012, NIMk is now in the process of reorganizing to maintain smaller dedicated services in line with the priorities it formerly established and offered as wings of the Institute The history of NIMk runs briefly as follows: The Netherlands Media Art Institute came into being in 1978 when it began to amalgamate and administer the collections of five institutions that were subsumed within the institute: Monte Video, Time Based Arts (1983-1994);23 Lijnbaan Center (1970-1982); De Appel (1975-1983); and, the Institute Collection Netherlands (ICN) The institute hosted a reference collection (6,500 titles), a distribution collection (2000 titles) and also maintained an online catalogue Access was the primary driver for preservation projects and was an integral principle of the NIMk, which worked with the Foundation for the Conservation of Contemporary Art (SBMK) and Virtueel Platform (VP) to preserve video art works from these Dutch public media art collections Research into computer based artworks (born-digital art) and the accessibility of media art in public collections formed the project, Preservation of Media Art Collections in Netherlands An impressive group of participating museums and art institutions included: the Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven; De Appel arts centre, Amsterdam; Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht; Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam; Groninger Museum; Instituut Collectie Nederland, Rijswijk; Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo; Netherlands Media Art Institute, Amsterdam (including the collections of the Lijnbaancentrum, Montevideo and Time Based Arts); Gemeentemuseum, Helmond; Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Centraal Museum, Utrecht; Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem; V2_, Rotterdam; Noordbrabants Museum, Den Bosch and SCHUNCK*, Heerlen Major NIMK projects to date included: Culture Vortex – Public 2.0 conducted user research (2010) Culture Vortex is now focused on how to both augment and promote online media art while acknowledging that artists are unsure about the added value of offering their works online GAMA (2008), established as a consortium of the most important digital content holders for media art in Europe, with a goal to create a central platform to enable multilingual, facilitated and user-orientated access to a significant number of media art archives and their digitalized content OASIS (Open Archiving System with Internet Sharing), one component project under the EU’s Culture 2000 program The task of that project was to design a new environment for media arts content gathering, including the preservation, presentation and distribution of media art, as well as the exchange of information in an accessible digital environment Key publication: Preservation of Media Art Collections in the Netherlands http://nimk.nl/eng/archive/preservation-media-art-collections-in-the-netherlands PACKED - Belgium 23 Monte Video merged with Time Based Arts to become a center of technical expertise through the Conservation of Dutch Video Art project There was integral cooperation with Dutch museums that over the course of time had also collected video work Because of the differences in approach among the institutions from which the videos came, considerable time was spent integrating the collections with one another Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 21 A key study on the effects of obsolescence of playback equipment was conducted by PACKED and in partnership with NIMk; this study produced significant recommendations and is available online PACKED has survived the 2012 cuts to the arts felt across Europe and although the organization is currently working to access preservation funding for more mainstream collections, the preservation of media artworks currently remains an integral part of the organization’s ethos The obsolescence of playback equipment is a critical factor in any preservation project; PACKED looked intently at playback equipment as a critical factor in any preservation project It received its funding from the Cultural Heritage Ministry of the Flemish Community, which continues to support the organization The Netherlands Media Art Institute (NIMk - now defunct), along with Montevideo and Time Based Arts (whose collections were held by NIMk), conducted an intensive collaboration over a two-year period to assess the obsolescence of playback equipment and the effect this has on the preservation life cycle regarding independent media artworks Other partners in the project were the MuHKA and S.M.A.K in Flanders, and the Kröller-Müller Museum and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam in the Netherlands (and also the Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage (ICN) and the Van Abbemuseum Eindhoven) More information on PACKED can be found at http://www.packed.be/ VTAPE – Canada Established in 1983, Vtape is a leader in video art distribution and provides services to individual artists and institutions that support the production, exhibition and acquisition of video art, both within Canada and internationally Vtape has recently developed a two tiered publication that addresses the needs of artists and of organizations that seek to preserve video art collections With funding from the Independent Media Art Alliance (IMAA), Canada’s only national arts service organization dedicated to advocating on behalf of independent media art for its 80+ member organizations across Canada, the Vtape best practice documents have been translated from English to French; these are now available through Vtape or via the IMAA website Key Publications: Caring for Video Art: Best Practices Guide for Organizations and Caring for Video Art: Best Practices Guide for Artists Available on: www.vtape.org For more information on IMAA, please go to www.imaa.ca UNIVERSITIES Berkeley University (U.S.A) supports the Berkeley Art Museum and the Rhizome Art Base Key publication: Preserving the Rhizome Art Base (2002) http://archive.rhizome.org:8080/artbase/preserving-the-rhizome-artbase-richard-rinehart/ Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 22 British Universities Film & Video Council (BUFVC) - The Moving Image Gateway – United Kingdom Essentially a portal, BUFVC is also a film archive forum for public sector film and television archives; the website also links to a wide reaching research network http://bufvc.ac.uk/2012/05/23/moving-image-gateway-updates-3 Columbia University – United States Key publication: Survey Instrument for Audio and Moving Image Collections (for assessment of physical condition and intellectual control) Columbia also produced an access database and an instruction manual http://library.columbia.edu/content/libraryweb/services/preservation/audiosurvey.html Cornell University – United States Key publication: Digital Preservation Management; Implementing Short-term Strategies for Longterm Problems (awarded in 2004) http://www.dpworkshop.org/dpm-eng/eng_index.html Also offers Digital Preservation Management Workshops and Tutorials Solid information on digital issues, including copyright, OASIS, TDRs & metadata management Cornell was involved in ECPA, TAAC and The Landmark Study Getty Research Institute - United States Key publication: Introduction to Imaging (2005), a thorough overview of digital conversion, including standards, metadata, networks, project planning, quality control and security The Getty Research Institute is essentially a centre for the preservation of all kinds of materials http://www.getty.edu/research/ Indiana University and Harvard University – United States Key publication: Sound Directions: Best Practices for Audio Preservation, Trustees of Indiana University and President and Fellows of Harvard University, 2007 This is a detailed and extensive examination of best practices for audio formats, based on the experience of two well managed sound archives, one at each of Yale and Indiana University The document includes a 4-page summary that lists all of the best practices mentioned throughout the book, which is both useful and quite detailed.24 Given that the best practices recommended in Sound Directions are based on the experience of two successful institutions with large and relatively similar types of sound collections, the recommendations could not, however, be considered scalable, as many would not apply to smaller institutions Note also that there is little focus on the access and rights issues Available free on line at: http://www.dlib.indiana.edu 24 p 156-159 Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 23 Rochester Institute of Technology (and the Society for Imaging Science and Technology) – United States Rochester Institute sponsors the Image Permanence Institute; it has departments dedicated to research, education, products and services, and it supports the preservation of analogue and digital cultural property (see also, University of Rochester, below) https://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/ Research Libraries Group (RLG) – United States Key publications: The Landmark Study (1996), a final report on preservation of electronic records, plus Preserving Digital Information RLG was also part of the Commission on Preservation & Access, which provided digital info on technical, security and conversion issues http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports Stanford University – United States Home to the American Institute for Conservation of Historic Works, The Electronic Media Group http://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/emg/ (a forum to address conservation of new media technologies) and CoOL(Conservation OnLine), which is a research lab that focuses on audio, Stanford covers a wide spectrum of research topics for library, archival and museum materials The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) exists to support the conservation professionals who preserve the cultural heritage of The Electronic Media Group (AIC's newest specialty group, the Electronic Media Group, was officially formed in 1998 after two sessions of the Electronic Media Special Interest Group demonstrated a need for a formal forum dedicated to addressing the topic of new media technologies in the conservation context.) The group's membership totals 115 and is comprised of conservation and preservation professionals with diverse experience and training but who share a common interest in furthering the group's goals Those goals are to promote the exchange of information about: (1) the preservation of historic records and artistic works which involve the use of electronic equipment, technologies and/or media as they are created, stored, used or experienced, and (2) the adoption of digital technologies to enhance conservation practice and preservation activities Another specific project to emerge from Stanford is COoL, which is focused solely on audio and deals with related preservation issues COoL is essentially a research lab that covers a wide spectrum of topics For more information on the Electronic Media Group: http://aic.stanford.edu/sg/aboutEMG.html For more information on AIC: http://www.conservation-us.org/ Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 24 And the following link goes to the Audio-specific preservation site - COoL: http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/audio/ University of Bristol – United Kingdom Home to the Institute for Learning and Research Technology and JISC Digital Media (aka TAIS), which focus on digital media education and the management of small/large scale digitization projects, including sound and moving image http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/ University of Illinois - United States Key publication: Audiovisual Self-Assessment Program, essentially an informational document, not a hands on guide http://www.library.illinois.edu/avsap/ University of Rochester – United States Rochester offers a hands-on MA in audio-visual preservation, in cooperation with the George Eastman House and the Selznick School of Preservation; the website links to other sites related to technology, museums, archives and/or motion film University of Texas – United States Key publications: Texas Commission on the Arts: Video Identification and Assessment Guide available at: http://www.arts.state.tx.us/video and, Home Media Preservation Guide available on: http://www.texasarchive.org Texas Commission On The Arts: Video Identification and Assessment Guide; this guide easily enables the identification of video formats, the evaluation of the risks and condition of videotape, and includes a decision making tree for the conservation of video-based material It is a valuable tool within the independent media art community Home Media Preservation Guide is a succinct guide that provides a common sense approach to the preservation of personal collections of film, videotape and DVDs The guide is split into four major sections: Storage, Handling, Digital Transfer, and Links and Resources 25 Yale University – United States Key publication: Best Practices for the Digital Conversion of Dynamic Media, Yale University Study, 2008 25 The links are to AMIA, CLIR, NFPF Preservation Guide, and The Video History Project (Experimental Television Centre) Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 25 A key work on audio-visual digitization, which is broken down into separate audio, video and film sections, this publication offers informative guidelines and lessons learned, rather than actual best practices The publication is focussed on the digitization process but includes good technical information on preservation and access It also includes highlights of basic digitization principles, which are simple and may therefore be useful within a scaled approach to best practices for digitization For example, the section on vendor relations reads as follows: Speak to people who have used this vendor for similar projects – get recommendations If possible, obtain multiple bids Know your specific goals and internal workflow limitations in advance And, most importantly, make sure your contract with the vendor is iron clad before you sign it – describe precisely the work to be done, and include fail-safes, deadlines and repercussions for not meeting those deadlines You don’t need to know about it all, audio-visual media is complex, but know enough to speak knowledgeably about your materials with the vendor Available online at: www.library.yale.edu/dpip/bestpractices/MediaBestPractices.doc, Prepared by Richard Lochead and Michele L Wozny Page 26