Information Bulletin no. 48, January 2004

Joint IASA/IAML 2004 Conference

For the first time since 1996 IAML and IASA will have a joint conference, which is to be held in Oslo, Norway, from 8 - 13 August 2004. The theme of the conference is Music and Multimedia.

What is music without sound? We might have more in common now than ever before, owing to easier access to virtual libraries through the Internet. New and interesting topics will be covered, such as

• Copyright issues in Norway; exploring printed music and sound recordings.

• Contemporary African Music and Arts Archives

• New solutions for presentation, storage and preservation

• Multimedia discography databanks

• The virtual international authority files and thesauri

• Archiving love, rock and electro-acoustic music

• Multimedia and the preservation of endangered languages - recent developments.

• Preserving sound - who cares about the sound?

• Current concerns for radio archives

• Sound restoration complexities

• Digital interactive technology for music libraries

The conference will take place at the University of Oslo, Blindern, in Georg Sverdrups Hus (the university library) and Helga Engs Hus.

The registration deadline is 1 May 2004. A higher registration fee will be charged for late registration.

Conference website: [http://www.iaml-iasa-2004.musikk.no/]

IASA Travel Grants for Oslo - New Deadline

The deadline for applications for travel grants to go to the joint IASA/IAML conference in Oslo from 8 to 13 August 2004 has been extended to 1 June 2004.

The purposes of the travel grants are to encourage active participation in the IASA annual conferences by those who have no alternative funding, and to encourage continued participation in the work of IASA. Individuals submitting requests are required to be currently paid-up members of IASA and willing to participate in the work of IASA. It would be an additional recommendation if you could demonstrate that such participation were current or planned.

Important: Your application must be in accordance with the guidelines published on http://www.iasa-web.org/travel-awards. Applications that do not follow the guidelines and applications received after 1 June 2004 will not be considered.

Please send your application to: Eva Fønss-Jørgensen, State and University Library, Universitetsparken, DK - 8000 Aarhus C, Phone +45 8946 2051, Fax +45 8946 2220, email: efj@statsbiblioteket.dk

New members

Dr Christian Onyeji, Music Department, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria: 'I participated in the IASA conference in Pretoria and I was enriched by the academic and archival activities of the Association. I love the Association for its benefits'.

Jill Teasley, 12-1201 Lamey\'s Mill Road, Vancouver, B.C. V6H 3S8, Canada says: 'I am enrolled in the master of archival studies programme at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and am carrying out research with the InterPARES 2 project on the preservation of records of electro-acoustic music. I would like to learn about issues faced by the international sound and audiovisual archival community and to receive news of other projects relating to sound and audiovisual archives.

Yleisradio Oy (Finnish Broadcasting Co.), Radio Sound Archives, Box 15, FIN-00024 YLEISRADIO, Finland decided that it was time to take out full institutional membership.

Rai Radiotelevisione Italiana, Rai Radiotelevisione Italiana Direzione Teche, Roberto Rossetto, Via Cernaia 33, 10121 Torino, Italy says that RAI is the Italian National Broadcaster. The Teche Department has been implementing a Multimedia Catalogue since 1998 to preserve and reuse the Sound and Audiovisual Archives

Mediatheque Musicale de Paris, Forum des Halles, Cidex 230, F-75045 Paris Cedex 01 France

Ms Kannika Chivapakdee, Radio Thailand, Museum and Archive, The Government Public Relations Department, 9 Soi Areesamphan, Rama VI, Phayathai, Bangkok 10400 Thailand

CAVIC 2003 - A Historic Event in the Caribbean

The first joint FIAT/IASA Caribbean Audio-Visual Information Conference took place from4 to 9 November 2003 in Kingston, Jamaica, kindly hosted and organized by the National Library of Jamaica, attracting 126 delegates in all, including speakers, from 19 Caribbean nations and 12 non-Caribbean countries. It was noticeable that almost all the attendants represented regional or national libraries, archives and university services, whereas production and broadcasting companies made up only a small minority.

The organizers played their cards well by taking the term information into the conference heading, thus underlining what, in the widest sense, the archivists' field of operation deals with. However, the conference theme Audiovisual Archiving - Our Heritage & History made it quite clear what the purpose was: to highlight audiovisual archive issues of interest in the Caribbean area.

Recognizing the general need to provide basic information to both newcomers and old hands in the field of audiovisual archiving, the organizers used the first two conference days as "training days". Sixteen workshops and tutorials were offered, given by experts from FIAT and IASA, which covered every area of AV archiving. You may be sure that in this mixed range nearly every participant found some benefit.

It goes without saying that the situation of the local audiovisual archives scattered about the numerous Caribbean islands, and their current and future problems, were dealt with by the plenary sessions. Subjects such as the Caribbean cultural patrimony, archive management, ethical challenges and the emerging technologies, preservation of audiovisual material in a tropical climate, the audiovisual network of Jamaica, copyright protection of AV works, and so on, were on the programme. Finally, among the most urgent issues discussed were the possible forms of co-operation and partnership in the Caribbean, e.g. by establishing a Caribbean audiovisual archives chapter.

In the closing session, the local organizers and the delegates agreed that this first AV conference, owing to the diverse and high attendance, was really a historic event. The conference was sponsored by CBC (Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation), FIAT, IASA, the National Library of Jamaica, and UNESCO.

Albrecht Haefner
SWR

BBC Sound and Vision

University of Westminster, London, 10 September 2003

The University of Westminster, a few yards from Broadcasting House, played host to a gathering of more than 100 academics, researchers and archivists with an interest in aspects of the BBC.

Given the breadth of the BBC's programming and the part it has played in national and international events over most of the 20^th Century, the Corporation continues to generate a great deal of interest. Given the great popularity of Media Studies it might be thought that study would be confined to programmes, personalities and aspects of broadcasting technology and policy. However, over 81 years the BBC has broadcast on every conceivable subject and engaged with significant people in many fields, and consequently our archives are seen as a rich source of primary content for many disciplines.

The event was organised jointly by the University of Westminster and the BBC's small Heritage team. The Heritage department has been formed to ensure that the BBC's own history is safeguarded, and used in creative and practical ways to tell the story of the BBC's role in the life of the nation since 1922. The BBC programme and written archives form a great part of the BBC's heritage, but buildings, technological innovation and commissioned works of art must not be forgotten.

The day opened with an address by the BBC's Chairman, Gavyn Davies, and the first session, introduced by Head of Heritage, Robin Reynolds, focused on three of the BBC's archives. In a conversational format, Jacquie Kavanagh (Written), Christine Slattery (Television) and Simon Rooks (Sound) discussed aspects of their areas with key users of the archives: broadcaster and biographer Humphrey Carpenter, television producer Carol Sennett, and radio producer Simon Elmes respectively. A question and answer session highlighted concerns and frustrations at the difficulties in accessing much of the BBC's archives, restricted by resources and bound by issues of IPR and contributor rights. It is a difficult area for broadcasters and the day threatened to be something of a 'lion's den' for the archivists. Academic and public access will continue to be a challenging issue for the BBC.

Further small seminars through the day looked at specific areas of study such as "The BBC in the Cold War", "The Proms", "The BBC and Children", "TV Drama" and "BBC Radio 4". Professor Paddy Scannell (University of Westminster) took the day in a more philosophical direction in a well received talk on "Broadcasting and the Meaning of 'Live'". He reflected on how perceptions of time relate to broadcasting schedules in urban and rural culture across the world. .

Many would have agreed that the highlight of the day was the conversation between the BBC's official historians. Lord Asa Briggs was commissioned to write the official history of the BBC in 1957 when, as he reminded us, there was no such thing as media studies. There was not even a published time-line of broadcasting development - he had to start from scratch. He wrote five volumes, the last of which was published in 1995, taking the BBC's story to 1974. Professor Jean Seaton has now begun working on the next volume. Never before had the two met in a public forum, and with veteran radio columnist Gillian Reynolds leading the discussion there was definite frisson in the hall.

A practical outcome of the day was the publicising and rapid expansion of an existing e-mail list, similar to IASA's, by which those in the field could exchange information. It was the general feeling of those present that the event was a success and the spirit of exchange, engagement and challenging debate should be continued in some form in the future.

Simon Rooks
BBC Sound Archivist

2004 FIAF-SEAPAVAA Joint Congress in Hanoi

The 8^th SEAPAVAA Conference and General Assembly will be held jointly with the 60^th Congress of FIAF (International Federation of Film Archives). A first for SEAPAVAA and FIAF, to meet and convene AV archivists from opposite sides of the world, this surely is a rare event in the history of audiovisual archiving. It will run from 18 to 24 April at the Melia Hanoi Hotel in the city of Hanoi, Vietnam. The conference will be hosted by the Vietnam Film Institute and Vietnam's Ministry of Culture and Information.

The Conference theme for this year is No Time, No Money: Moving Image and Sound Archiving in Emergency Conditions and it will tackle solutions to the evident problems of audiovisual archives in the region. Topics include a discussion on facing up to emergencies with insufficient resources, growing an archive's support base to advocate its needs successfully. How to deal with inequalities in resources and skills will also be addressed.

Aside from the symposium, institutional visits, sightseeing excursions and opportunities to network and socialise, the Joint Conference will include the SEAPAVAA/FIAF International Film Show, which will showcase recently produced feature films that will be projected with voice-over translation. There will also be a film screening featuring gems from the members' archives. A technical exhibition of equipment for handing film, video, sound and photographic materials will run concurrently with the conference.

The deadline for papers and entries for the Archive Gems and the International Film Show has been extended to give consideration to those who may still want to participate in the congress.

Forms are available on line at the SEAPAVAA web site at www.geocities.com/seapavaa, or through FIAF's web site at http://www.fiafnet.org/

Online registration will be available soon on the Congress's official web site at http://www.fiafcongress.org/

AES Joins Forces with Producers and Engineers

AES has joined forces with the Producers and Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy to recommend archival formats for recorded music projects.

The AES Technical Committee on Studio Practices and Production joined forces recently with the Delivery and Specifications subcommittee of the Producers and Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy, chaired by Kyle Lehning and George Massenburg. The Committee produced a new AES technical document, AES TD1002, which recommends methods of delivery for recorded music projects, short-term and long-term archival formats, minimum and preferred standards of delivery, and provides tables of approved formats and media.

Guidelines for accompanying documentation are also included. Visit http://www.aes.org/technical/documents/ for a free copy of AES TD1002. The committee welcomes comments via email at tech_council@aes.org

IPI Studies Magnetic Tape

The Image Permanence Institute (IPI) at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has received a three-year, US$400 000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to study the preservation of magnetic tape collections, including both audio and video.

IPI is the world's largest independent laboratory devoted to research into the preservation of information recording material. It is also an important source of new preservation technology for libraries, archives, governmental agencies and museums around the world. It is well known in the film and photographic communities for its work in developing "AD strips" for detection of deterioration of acetate-based motion picture film. IPI also developed the photo-activity test (PAT) for determining longevity of photographic media.

This grant project marks their first venture into magnetic tape and audio media. "As a research lab, the Image Permanence Institute is dedicated to recording media," explains James Reilly, IPI director. "With this research grant, we will be able to focus on the deterioration of magnetic tape and work on creating techniques to help libraries, museums and archives save their collections." Two goals of the project are to understand and improve collection survey methods to help institutions determine what they have, and development of diagnostic tools for tape collections to aid in condition assessment without the need to play back every tape.

Preservation methods developed in IPI labs will be tested on established collections at a half dozen prominent institutions. These participants include Columbia Library, Kennedy Library, the Motion Picture, Broadcast and Recorded Sound Division of the Library of Congress, State Archives of Michigan, and Northeast Historic Film.

For more information visit http://www.rit.edu/ipi

The 2004 ARSC-SAM Conference

The 2004 ARSC-SAM Conference will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, from Wednesday 10 March to Sunday 14 March.

The Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) and the Society for American Music (SAM) have joined forces to produce a truly remarkable gathering, on America's "North Coast." More than 130 papers, presentations, panels, and performances will be given.

Current members of ARSC or SAM will automatically receive a twelve-page conference brochure, in the post. To get a head start on your planning, you can download the whole document now, if you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your PC. To view the brochure, simply go to http://www.american-music.org/ and click on the PDF link.

This first ever joint ARSC-SAM Conference features a stellar line-up of sessions and events. Join fellow archivists, librarians, collectors, musicians, engineers, students and scholars in celebrating our musical heritage -- past, present, and future!

Programme highlights include three joint ARSC-SAM sessions: "Music Downloading and File Swapping: Differing Views"; "Recording the History of Folk and Traditional Music"; and "Collections and Archiving." All the registrants may freely attend any ARSC or SAM session, regardless of membership in one organisation or the other.

ARSC's Education and Training Committee will present a pre-conference workshop: "Topics in Oral History and Music Field Recordings," on 10 March from 09:00 to 16:45. Conference excursions include a free, after-hours access tour to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and a visit to the University Circle, where a special session will focus on the Cleveland Orchestra

Detailed conference web pages will be up soon, accessible from either http://arsc-audio.org/ or http://www.american-music.org/

2004 International Conference on Digital Archive Technologies (ICDAT2004)

Digital archives/libraries are widely recognised as a crucial component of a global information infrastructure for the new century. Research and development projects in many parts of the world are concerned about using advanced information technologies for managing and manipulating digital information. These range from data storage, preservation, indexing, searching, presentation, and dissemination capabilities to organising and sharing information over networks. ICDAT 2004 is the second in a series of International Conferences on Digital Archive Technologies organised by the National Digital Archives Program, Taiwan. The purpose of this conference is to provide unique opportunities for participants to share their research results and best practice experiences in utilisation of advanced technologies for, and approaches to, the development of digital archives/libraries. To facilitate experience interchange further between the digital archive specialists and delegates of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) member economies, ICDAT 2004 will be held in conjunction with the 2004 APEC Workshop on Resource Sharing in Digital Libraries (http://www.iis.sinica.edu.tw/APEC04). The meeting is a forum for participants to share their experience in the digital library development and explore ways of co-operation and collaboration between digital libraries in the Asia-Pacific area.

The intended community for ICDAT 2004 includes those who are interested in technologies and tools for advanced digital archive systems, new knowledge of archival storage and preservation, best practices of technology development in digital archives, and applications of digital archive technologies.

Participants are welcome from a variety of disciplines including computer sciences, library information sciences, archival sciences, museum studies and other related areas.
ICDAT 2004 invites research submissions on any topic related to digital archives/libraries, but topics relating to technology development are strongly encouraged. The technical issues to be addressed include, but are not limited to the following:

• Digital archive technologies for enhancing security, content preservation, multimedia delivery and presentation, system collaboration, information retrieval, data exchange, multicultural and multilingual information sharing, and intellectual property protection

• Case studies exemplifying the technology development in libraries, museums, archival organisations, digitised governments, medicine and education

• Usability evaluation of digital archive systems

Conference Venue and Date
The conference will be held in the Howard Plaza Hotel, Taipei on 18 and 19 March 2004.

Contact Person
Ms Andrea Chen
Institute of Information Science
Academia Sinica, Nankang,
Taipei, TAIWAN
Tel: 886-2-27883799 ext. 2204
Fax: 886-2-27824814
E-mail: achen@iis.sinica.edu.tw

International Council on Archives Submits Report on E-Records to UNESCO

"Archives need to be repositioned to manage electronic records and deal effectively with archival automation" states the International Council on Archives (ICA) in submitting the findings of a research work on e-records commissioned by UNESCO. The project came as a response to the challenges posed by e-records to the international archival community and to archive users.

The work done by ICA experts in the second half of 2003 consisted of three steps:

• Preparation and production of a practical workbook on managing, preserving and providing access to authentic electronic records

• Preparation of a global survey on the status of the authenticity of electronic records, with particular attention to developing countries, and reporting of results with recommendations

• Organisation of training seminars to educate and raise awareness of archivists on the issue of preserving authentic electronic records, with particular attention to government archives in developing countries

Practical Workbook on Managing, Preserving and Providing Access to Authentic Electronic Records

The manuscript of the ICA practical guide on managing, preserving and providing access to electronic records, titled Electronic Records: A Workbook for Archivists, was completed in December 2003 by the ICA Committee on Current Records in an Electronic Environment, a group of 34 specialists from over 25 countries. The lead editors are Andrew McDonald (UK), Kimberly Barata (UK) and Ivar Fonnes (Norway). Authors include Kevin Ashley (UK), Niklaus Bütikofer (Switzerland), Ivar Fonnes (Norway), Michael Millar (USA) and Michael Wettengel (Germany).

The Workbook presents tactical approaches to record management in electronic office systems, including networked environments, from an archival perspective It covers all the types of electronic records and all the phases of the life cycle/records continuum. The Workbook is intended to help archival institutions that are reorienting their policies and programmes in order to safeguard the quality and integrity of current records and to ensure that archival records in electronic office systems are identified, captured, preserved, and made available to users. The aim is to provide practical guidance and advice on how to implement the concepts and strategies outlined in the 1997 ICA Guide for Managing Electronic Records from an Archival Perspective.

This manuscript will undergo final editing in January-February 2004, and be published in print and online and distributed by ICA to its member archival institutions around the world. Three workshop sessions on how to implement the Workbook are included in the preliminary programme for the 15^th International Congress on Archives, in Vienna, Austria, from 23 to 29 August 2004.

Global Survey on the Status of the Authenticity of Electronic Records, with Particular Attention to Developing Countries, and Report Results with Recommendations

ICA commissioned the International Records Management Trust (IRMT) to prepare a desk study on the current status of the electronic records question, extending analysis of the 2002 ICA study with particular attention to developing countries, drawing on their substantial experience in this area from initiatives undertaken in 2002/2003. A report was completed for ICA and UNESCO by Laura Millar (Canada), representing the IRMT, in December 2003.

The study reviews major global studies and initiatives on authentic electronic records undertaken by ICA and IRMT in the past year. The central question asked is: what measures are necessary for records and archives professionals, especially in developing countries, to ensure authenticity of electronic records and so ensure preservation of, and continued access to, society's documentary memory? On this basis, the following are identified as significant challenges to the authenticity of electronic records:

1. Low profile of record keeping and lack of recognition of records/archives as evidence

2. 2. Weakness of legislative, organisational, and policy frameworks

3. Absence of technical and operational standards and guidelines

4. Absence of education and training

5. Need for a strategic approach to capacity building in records/archives management

Eleven recommendations are made for strategic action by UNESCO, the archives/records profession and ICA to address these challenges. These recommendations are now being considered by the leaders of ICA's regional branches and professional committees working in the area of electronic records. This study will feed into planning of ICA's strategic priorities and actions in the period 2004-2008 in the area of electronic records. It provides several openings for further co-operation between ICA and UNESCO in this important area.

Training Seminars to Educate and Raise Awareness of Archivists on the Issue of Preserving Authentic Electronic Records

Two regional training seminars were completed in July and September 2003, building the professional capacity of over 230 archives/records professionals in over twenty countries in Africa and the Arab world to identify and address the challenges of electronic record management, preservation and access.

• International Council on Archives <http://www.ica.org/en>

• UNESCO Archives Portal <http://www.unesco.org/webworld/portal_archives>

Contact Axel Plathe, UNESCO, Information Society Division

Oral Testimony - Life History Radio Programme Concluded

UNESCO and the Panos Institute West Africa (PIWA) have just concluded the "Oral Testimony" training and production project This resulted in 12 radio documentaries produced and broadcast over some 300 community radio stations in eight Western African countries.

Oral testimonies are radio documentaries that treat several topics depicting different ethnic and religious groups: how they interface, integrate and reconcile in a changing environment. The methodology of oral testimony is based on a specific interview method using testimonies of the local peoples.

The training and production project focused on the life of young people in a complex and multicultural environment. Through the radio programmes, the views of the young people themselves, often ignored by traditional urban media, are expressed. The main objective of the initiative was to increase intercultural awareness and sensitise young generations to humanity's need for tolerance, dialogue and peace.

The project was supported within the framework of UNESCO's international venture "Intensifying the Dialogue among Communities, Cultures and Civilizations". Visit Panos Institute West Africa (PIWA): http://www.panos-ao.org/ or contact Rosa Gonzalez, UNESCO, Communication Development Division at r.gonzalez@unesco.org

The Virtual Gramophone: Canadian Historical Sound Recordings

A newly redesigned Virtual Gramophone is now available, with additional information on the database and another 450 audio recordings featuring the next part of our series on Canadian classical vocalists. For more details consult in English
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/gramophone/m2-121-e.html
or in French
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/gramophone/index-f.html

Library and Archives Canada is pleased to announce the launch of a CCOP-funded project, the newly redesigned The Virtual Gramophone: Canadian Historical Sound Recordings. The Virtual Gramophone is a growing multimedia web site devoted to the early days of Canadian recorded sound. In addition to its new look, this redesigned site has been enhanced with the addition of an Educational Resources section. These theme-based learning ideas are designed for teachers, parents and students, to generate discussion and study of Canada's musical heritage.

The Virtual Gramophone continues to expand with the addition of another 1 400 entries on our database. The addition of 450 new audio files brings the total number of complete recordings to over 3 300. These recordings can be found by searching the database, or by using the new Listen option. Audio files are offered in both RealAudio and MP3 formats. You are invited to visit the site at: www.nlc-bnc.ca/gramophone.

For more information, please contact Susan Globensky, Project Officer, on (613) 992-2520, susan.globensky@nlc-bnc.ca.

2004 Joint Technical Symposium:
Preserving the Audiovisual Heritage - Transition and Access

On behalf of the Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archive Associations, the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) is pleased to announce that the 2004 Joint Technical Symposium will take place from 24 to 26 June 2004 in Toronto, Canada, at the Isabel Bader Theater. Preserving the AudioVisual Heritage - Transition and Access is the theme of this 3-day event, which is expected to draw 300-400 attendees from around the world.

The Joint Technical Symposium (JTS), which was first held in 1983, is the international gathering of organisations and individuals involved in preservation of original image and sound materials. Held every three years, JTS provides an opportunity for colleagues around the world, and those interested in the field, to meet and share information about original image and sound preservation. Panel discussions, technical presentations and sessions, and special screenings will focus on preservation and restoration of the world's moving image and recorded sound heritage. Attendees traditionally include film/video/audio archivists, laboratory technicians and engineers, and film/video/audio preservation specialists drawn from a broad cross-section of institutions responsible for feature films, television (national, regional and local), independent productions, news film, and amateur productions. For newcomers to this vibrant, dynamic and committed community, JTS 2004 will provide an invaluable opportunity to learn what is happening in the field.

Under the auspices of the Information Society Division of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), participating organizations include: the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA), the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), the International Federation of Television Archives/Fédération Internationale des Archives de Télévision (FIAT/IFTA), the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA), the International Council on Archives (ICA), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and the Southeast Asia-Pacific Audiovisual Archive Association (SEAPAVAA).

JTS Registration Forms and Hotel Information are now available at http://www.jts2004.org/ Programme information continues to be updated as it is finalised. Each of the forms is attached in a PDF format. If you are unable to download the forms, please let us know and we will fax them to you.

For more information visit the JTS 2004 web site http://www.jts2004.org/, or contact the AMIA Office; 1313 North Vine St., Los Angeles, CA 90028; Tel: 323-463-1500; Fax: 323-463-1506; Email: info@jts2004.org. Registration information will be available from 1 November 2004. This event is open to everyone.

Calendar of events

This Information Bulletin was compiled by:

The Editor - Ilse Assmann,
SABC, PO Box 931, 2006, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, South Africa,
Tel: 27 (0)11 714 4041, Fax: 27 (0)11 714 4419, Email: assmanni@sabc.co.za.

Language editor: Dorothy van Tonder, SABC
PLEASE SEND COPY FOR INFORMATION BULLETIN NO 49 BY 15 MARCH 2004
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