Sound recordings and moving images are extremely vulnerable as they can be quickly and deliberately destroyed. Essentially emblematic of the 20th century, audiovisual heritage can be irretrievably lost as a result of neglect, natural decay and technological obsolescence. Public consciousness of the importance of preservation of these recordings must be engaged and the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is intended to be the platform for building global awareness.
UNESCO has adopted 27 October as the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage to better focus global attention on the issues at stake, in cooperation with the Co-ordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA) and other partners. A growing number of archives around the world will be commemorating this Day with activities that highlight the fragility and vulnerability of this heritage, while celebrating the work of the heritage institutions that have helped to protect it.
Film, television and radio are our common heritage. They help to maintain the cultural identity of a people but countless documentary treasures have disappeared since the invention of image and sound technologies that permit the peoples of the world to better share their experiences, creativity and knowledge.
All of the world's audiovisual heritage is endangered. No where can it be said to be preserved but through initiatives such as the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage and the Memory of the World Programme, the precious work of preservation professionals is given impetus to manage a range of technical, political, social, financial and other factors that threaten the safeguard of heritage.
Recommended Resource Sites for AV Archiving
by Mick Newnham (National Film and Sound Archive, Australia)Note: It is advised to periodically do a new search as new sites may become available, or links to existing sites may change.
- Library of Congress
Needs a bit of searching to find what you need - National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
- National Library of Australia
Need to search but there is some good info, especially about digital - National Film Preservation Foundation
Have some nice downloadable publications - Folkstreams.net
Some streamed videos on av preservation techniques - Kodak
Not so much about preservation as such but loads of good info about photographic materials - try linking to the Student/Education section - Image Permanence Institute
Lots of good free tools to help with developing strategies for collections of all sorts - Wilhelm Imaging Research
Privately run site but full of good information about storage and has loads of case studies - IASA
Has downloads of some of their publications such as TC-03; new TC-04 may be up soon - Society for Imaging Science and Technology
Bit techo but they have a archive research section and there are some good tutorials on digital imaging - Media Matters
Jim Lindner's site
UNESCO encourages everyone, everywhere to join us in celebrating 27 October by showcasing their precious collections as part of a global endeavour to promote the value of audiovisual heritage.
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