Understanding and preserving audio collections

Understanding and preserving audio collections - a 3 day course, British Library, London

7 – 9 November 2011

From the end of the 19th century, sound recordings have documented some of the most significant events in culture, science and history. Custodians of audio collections are faced with the challenge of maintaining access to our priceless audio heritage, but with so many formats, from wax cylinders to the latest audio file formats, there is a risk that recordings on obsolete and fragile formats may be lost.

Understanding and preserving audio collections will guide you through collection management and preservation strategies, with an emphasis on digitisation for preservation and access.

The main areas covered by the 3 day course are:

• Analogue audio carriers and technology
• Digital audio theory
• Collection level overviews
• Working with audio files
• Archival principles for audio material

The course has been developed for people with responsibility for creating, managing and using audio collections. Whilst no hands-on experience is necessary, it is useful to have identified a collection to which the theory and practical elements of this course will be applied in order to get the most from it.

http://www.bl.uk/blpac/audio.html

Preservation Advisory Centre
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB

T +44(0)20 7412 7612
F +44(0)20 7412 7796
blpac@bl.uk
http://www.bl.uk/blpac/