Jähnichen, Gisa, Xiao Mei, Chinthaka P. Meddegoda, Thongbang Homsombat, and Ahmad Faudzi Musib (2021).Two Years Later -The future of Small-scale Archives in Asia. IASA Journal, 51: 12-22. (original) (raw)
Related papers
Innovation and Human Failure in Small-Scale Audiovisual Archives
International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) Journal, 2018
Based on several previous studies presented at IASA annual conferences (2001, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017) this paper intends to summarize long-term outcomes with a focus on the innovation needed in the digital era and the possible human failure in small-scale archives such as those the authors work with in Asia. In this paper, all authors[1] follow their specific question with the purpose of contributing to an analytic view on how technology collides with or creates a sense of community. Our emphasis is on sharing positive experiences and encouraging others by honestly discussing possible failures due to various conditions. Embedding these possible failures into a wider context is part of a mutual learning process. At the same time, each author will address a different clientele of stakeholders such as educational institutions, governmental decision makers, academia, occasional users, and the AV archivists themselves. [1] The authors know each other and have networked throug...
Collection and Curation, 2020
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify challenges related to the management and preservation of audio-visual (AV) records and/or archives in archival institutions in Sub Saharan Africa and suggests strategies for resolving them. Design/methodology/approach This study is qualitative in nature and used content analysis from desk top review of literature to identify the challenges and suggested solutions. Findings Among others, the study revealed that budgetary constraints, poor environmental controls, ill-equipped staff and technological obsolescence are the major challenges hampering the efforts of archival institutions in Sub Saharan Africa to manage and preserve AV archives. Research limitations/implications The contextual differences due to existing political set ups in archival agencies in Sub Saharan Africa may or may not be receptive to some of the strategies suggested for the improvement of managing and preserving audio visual archives. Practical implications The pap...
2008
This research investigated the management of audiovisual materials (AV) in the East and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA). The study employed questionnaires, interviews and observation to gather data from a population of fourteen national archives. The response rate from the questionnaires was 64.28%. The observations and interviews were carried out from a sample of three national archives and four national media organisations, as explained in Chapter Three. The study confirmed previous studies that attributed continued dissipation of AV materials to various factors such as climatic and environmental conditions, shortage or lack of skilled AV archivists and lack of a standard legal framework in the ESARBICA region. Most national archives did not cover audiovisual archives in their legislation. The study discovered that most of the national archives did not apply the following policies to AV materials: appraisal, acquisition, access, ...
Based on several previous studies presented at IASA annual conferences (2001, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017) this paper intends to summarize long-term outcomes with a focus on the innovation needed in the digital era and the possible human failure in small-scale archives such as those the authors work with in Asia. In this paper, all authors2 follow their specific question with the purpose of contributing to an analytic view on how technology collides with or creates a sense of community. Our emphasis is on sharing positive experiences and encouraging others by honestly discussing possible failures due to various conditions. Embedding these possible failures into a wider context is part of a mutual learning process.
2011
This paper reports the results of an empirical study on the management of audio-visual materials in the member states of the East and Southern Africa Regional Branch of theInternational Council on Archives (ESARBICA). The paper examines the extent to which national archives in ESARBICA apply archival policies and strategies to the management of audio-visual (AV) materials. The main objectives of the study were to: i) identify policies which archival institutions in ESARBICA used to manage AV materials; and ii) identify strategies which archival institutions in ESARBICA apply to the management of AV materials. The study employed a survey design. Nine countries (South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Swaziland) in the region were covered. Data was gathered mainly through literature review supplemented by interviews and observation checklists. The findings revealed that while some national archives adhered to established standards and practices, ...
The SUV has grown from a small group of members in 1994, and over a period of ten years has been successful in the fulfillment of its primary objective, the strengthening of relations among members who are academic archivists in universities and research institutions thru the holding of annual seminars and conferences. Little has been done, sadly, towards the promotion of a very important objective, i.e., archival cooperation in the fields of documentation, bibliographic access, digitization, open access scholarly publishing, and related activities that would enhance the networking and linkage capabilities among academic archivists, particularly those in. the disadvantaged regions as well as in developing nations. The strategic development of archives in the region through collaboration, partnering schemes, and networking can create an information-rich environment, and wide opportunities to benefit from shared information resources. Part of the success of ICA-SUV will largely depend on how well its members can exploit these networking opportunities, and contribute to the development and growth of archival knowledge on a global scale. This paper aims to bring out the spirit of cooperation among the members by promoting the development of sustainable short-term projects that are doable and mutually beneficial, and thereby contribute to the increased access to archival knowledge.
Small voices in cyberspace: digitisation issues for research archives
2001
The paper examines how the challenges of new technology affect research archives holding audiovisual materials. It will examine issues of ethics in dissemination of recordings, resource implications, standardisation, and other issues pertinent to research archives. International projects and initiatives will be examined, with reference to the work of UNESCO and the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives. This paper will be an exploration of the Utopian expectations and Labyrinthine realities that small archives must face when they prepare to digitise their collections. I shall concentrate on audio recordings; however many of the principles enumerated can be applied to photographic and video collections as well. I shall examine some of the major issues involved in digitisation and dissemination of audiovisual materials as faced by archivists and shall show how these are being addressed both within Australia and overseas. Finally, I shall demonstrate how the Internet can be both friend and foe in this process. Before I begin this tale of woe, fear and exhilaration, let me define what I mean by research archives. I will be focussing on small cross-media-based archives that hold field-recorded and specialised collections of audiovisual media and their print documentation. They may be part of larger organisations, such as universities or research organisations, or may be stand-alone archives with a topical emphasis. Examples of the former are the Archive of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland or the Archive of the American Institute for Indian Studies. Some stand-alone topical archives would be the archive of the Performing Arts Museum in Melbourne or the archive of the Kimberleys Language Resource Centre at Halls Creek, WA. Small research archives differ in size and focus from large national archives, such as the Library of Congress or ScreenSound Australia and from broadcasting archives, like the ABC. The archives of these larger organisations hold research collections, but their charters require them to amass comprehensive national collections or program materials. Small research archives, along with other collecting institutions, have no choice about digitising their collections. Up until recently, the received wisdom of archiving audio material demanded that preservation reels be the preferred archival medium. However, a UNESCO-funded survey by the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) determined that about 15 years remain before maintaining reel-to-reel tape recorders becomes prohibitively expensive. Ten years ago there were 25 manufacturers of reel-to-reel recorders-now there are 6. There were 70 models of recorders-now only 8. (Boston 2000: 3-4) Because research archives hold much early material on reels, there is great pressure to transfer the recordings quickly while reel-to-reel recorders can still be functional. Also, the cost of reel-to-reel tape is hard to justify when a blank CDR, at around the 1−2markwillrecordasmuchinformationasa1-2 mark will record as much information as a 1−2markwillrecordasmuchinformationasa36.00 analogue reel. Analogue audiocassettes are also in the process of becoming obsolete, although many archives still keep them for access copies. It is becoming hard to find replacement parts for the recorders. This becomes a difficult situation because analogue recorders are still generally easier to use on the field. Pricewise, the cost of a blank CD is now less than for a blank cassette although the price differential is less than that for reels and CDs. Small archives and digitisation: Two scenarios will help to give you empathy towards people who work in small research archives. Although the situations thus described are present in all institutions holding audiovisual materials, small archives have less staff, finance and infrastructure to deal with them. Virginia Danielson, of the Harvard University Archive of World Music, plaintively states our first issue: Scenario 1: Utopian expectations "My favourite library patrons will gesture wildly toward a part of our collection and say, "of course, all this will be digitised eventually." As someone working in a large collection, I find this view variously hilarious, pitiable, or depressing." (Danielson 2001: 4) Hilarious because of the assumption of adequate staff and the supposition that all will be digitised; Pitiable because of the disappointment lurking in the wings as cold grey dawn of reality descends upon the poor user;
2020
Libraries and Archives have long recognized the important role played by audiovisual records in the development of an informed global citizen and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is no exception. Lying on the banks of the Red Sea, KAUST has a state of the art library housing professional library and archives teams committed to the processing of digital audiovisual records created within and outside the University. This commitment, however, sometimes obscures the fundamental divergences unique to the two disciplines on the acquisition, cataloguing, access and long-term preservation of audiovisual records. This dichotomy is not isolated to KAUST but replicates itself in many settings that have employed Librarians and Archivists to manage their audiovisual collections. Using the KAUST audiovisual collections as a case study the authors of this paper will take the reader through the journey of managing KAUST's digital audiovisual collection. Several theoretical and methodological areas of convergence and divergence will be highlighted as well as suggestions on the way forward for the IFLA 1 and ICA 2 working committees on the management of audiovisual records.