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Make It Happen
19 January 2015
As we saw in the recent #WhyAmIAnArchivist Twitter hashtag, for many people one of the inspirations to becoming an archivist is the thrill of discovering lost documents that unlock the past (or unlock an ancient vault full of gold or autopsied aliens). Life is an encoded puzzle written in invisible ink, and perhaps, just perhaps, that misplaced letter or oral history or receipt from 7-11 will shade in the image just a little bit more, enough to make out a fresh answer to the mystery or somehow better connect the present to the past.
Open Reel Audio Duration Calculator
11 December 2014
A simple Excel spreadsheet that shows the total capacity for 1/4 inch open reel audio, using variable for Track Configuration, Sound Field Configuration, Tape Thickness, and Reel Size. Assumes full tape reels and full use of capacity. Look for an online app version coming soon.
Estimating Duration of Open Reel Audio
10 December 2014
UPDATE: Find a simple Excel spreadsheet Duration Calculator here.
Another Fowl Thanksgiving
25 November 2014
Growing up, my most memorable Thanksgiving was a non-Thanksgiving. 90% of my extended family lived in the Portland area, so all family events took place there, but we lived 3-4 hours away in southern Oregon.
Maybe It Should Be Living Dead Media
19 November 2014
I’ve been a long time fan of zombie movies. And I’m old. I’m letting you know this so you know that I’m not some Johnny-rise-from-the-dead-lately who jumped on the zombie bandwagon with World War Z or The Walking Dead.
Digital Preservation Is People
14 November 2014
Preservation is a resource heavy endeavor. People. Time. Equipment. Infrastructure. Facilities. Space. Training. And, I suppose, some cash-ola.
AVPreserve Upcoming Events – Not Slowing Down for November
10 November 2014
Just as we’re catching our collective breaths after the intense conference month of October, AVPreserve is setting off again for a number of November events with our passports in hand. Senior Consultant Kara Van Malssen is currently in Mexico City as part of the instructional team for SOIMA-LATAM 2014: Safeguarding Sound and Image Collections. Part of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), SOIMA brings together archivists from across the globe to provide an intensive course over several weeks in order to train them on the care and preservation of audiovisual materials. Kara’s instruction will largely focus on metadata. She has been an instructor in the SOIMA program for several years and always looks forward to meeting new international colleagues.
Fear and Planning in the Archives
27 October 2014
If you’re reading this today, and if today is October 27th, then it’s the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage! WDAVH (say that five times fast) is an international celebration of the importance of audio and moving image archives, both for the significance of their collections as well as critical need for preservation, hence this year’s theme “Archives at Risk – Much More to Do!”
FIAT/IFTA Cost Of Inaction Presentation
25 October 2014
AVP President Chris Lacinak was invited to give a keynote presentation at the 2014 Fédération Internationale des Archives de Télévision / The International Federation of Television Archives (FIAT/IFTA) World Conference on the topic of our Cost of Inaction Calculator. The COI Calculator is a planning tool that provides estimated budgets and schedules over the long term so that one can begin to develop a preservation plan for beyond the immediate near term. By looking at the costs of physical storage and management, digitization, and digital storage, an institution can think about distributing costs over time while also considering the critical need for sustainability of preservation activities (and their associated costs) beyond short term fund raising or grants.
World Day for Audiovisual Heritage Releases
25 October 2014
In celebration of World Day for Audiovisual Heritage on October 27th, AVPreserve is releasing several new or updated white papers that provide guidance on the preservation and management of audiovisual and digital media collections. To start, we have translated five of our white papers into Spanish in order to increase accessibility for a global audience. These first five papers cover processing of AV collections, preservation of optical media, cloud storage for archives, disaster recovery, and an introduction to Codecs. We hope to continue translating our resources and look to feedback on our efforts and future requests. The Spanish language papers can be downloaded for free at https://www.avpreserve.com/papers-and-presentations/documento-tecnico-de-lengua-espanola/
