Funded by: © AHDS Practical steps towards audiovisual preservation Sarah Jones AHDS Performing Arts

Funded by: © AHDS What is TAPE? Training for Audiovisual Preservation in Europe EU funded project under the Culture 2000 programme Offer training through expert meetings, research, publications and workshops “TAPE aims to contribute to action plans for preservation of the audiovisual heritage by laying the groundwork for a programme of awareness-raising and training of non-specialists”

Funded by: © AHDS Overview Limited budgets Passive preservation – handling and storage Digital Mass Store Practical guides Film identification Devising a preservation plan The value of archives Netherlands Institute of Sound and Vision, Hilversum

Funded by: © AHDS Passive Preservation Water Greatest natural enemy of audiovisual carriers  Hydrolysed tapes (sticky shed syndrome)  Oxidisation of pure metal magnetic pigments  Carriers can swell up  Fungus growth (65% RH and over)

Funded by: © AHDS Severely hydrolysed tape

Funded by: © AHDS Passive Preservation Temperature Generally no direct harmful influence up to 30ºC BUTtemperature causes dimensional changes the higher the temperature the faster the process of deterioration

Funded by: © AHDS Passive Preservation Ideal is to keep temperature and humidity stable and low – cyclical fluctuations cause lot of damage Remember temperature and humidity are interrelated –Can’t control one without the other Weigh up risk of storage conditions vs budget

Funded by: © AHDS Passive Preservation Dust The stylus can’t distinguish the dust from the groove so can’t interpret the recording –Use air filters –Avoid carpeted floors –Never touch recorded areas with fingers –Don’t eat, drink or smoke in storage and handling areas

Funded by: © AHDS Passive Preservation Storage areas and shelves Underground storage suboptimal – basements are damp and temperature hard to control Make sure they’re fire protected –CO 2 extinguishers – no water, foam or powder Store carriers upright (except soft instantaneous discs) Avoid wooden shelves due to chemicals Steel ok if not part of lightning conductor system

Funded by: © AHDS Passive Preservation Handling Careful handling of fragile carriers Keep readers in excellent condition to avoid scratches Only load /unload cassettes at unrecorded start / end Avoid bending optical discs Be realistic about workflow Follow proper cleaning procedures –Compressed air not blowing with mouth –Water / chemical agents as suitable for carrier type

Funded by: © AHDS Passive preservation Following storage and handling rules is NOT a guarantee against loss: one copy is no copy Minimal requirements: 1.Original 2.Archival master copy plus a back up (safety) copy 3.Service / access / working copy

Funded by: © AHDS Digital Mass Store Challenges posed by analogue systems Availability and access restricted Storage issues – physical space, environmental controls Obsolescence of playback equipment and carriers Need to monitor condition Analogue carriers not permanent. Move towards preserving the information not the carrier

Funded by: © AHDS Solution… transfer analogue AV signals into digital signals and preserve in a digital mass storage can be duplicated without copy losses can be easily accessed condition monitoring / preservation can be automated

Funded by: © AHDS What is a digital mass store? It’s a closed system composed of: a stack with space for lots of data cartridges one or more drives a robotic system which handles the cartridges a controlling server

Funded by: © AHDS What a mass store looks like

Funded by: © AHDS Benefits to a digital mass store Can automate a lot of the archive processes Permanent accessibility and parallel use Less wear and tear on original carriers Don’t need same environmental controls Fast transfer of files Large storage capacity in small physical area

Funded by: © AHDS Cons of a digital mass store High initial investment costs –Hardware –Software –Network Transfer costs of the archive collection…. Huge initial outlay  can this be achieved on a budget?

Funded by: © AHDS Small scale approaches It’s becoming more financially realistic to set up small HSM (Hierarchical Storage Management) systems that can scale up to digital mass stores Professional computer back-up tapes (LTO) and hard disk drives have been dropping in price since 2000

Funded by: © AHDS How is it done? Start with very basic system and grow with collections / finances  could move seamlessly from manual storage to digital mass store A single LTO drive and a workstation Add workstations, file server, possibly an LTO autoloader Add more workstations, LTO drives and a server backbone to manage the traffic on the network Add more file servers and an independent storage unit

Funded by: © AHDS Film identification You don’t need to be a film specialist to identify film… cs/53B36F201BAEBD32CA256B5E0079E620?OpenDocum ent Gauges Images and description of gauges Table of gauges, manufacturers, dates s?OpenDocument

Funded by: © AHDS Film identification Colour Film and Soundtracks Guide to colour and Sound Kodak date codes General video clips

Funded by: © AHDS Why should we know this? To be able to help people recognise what they have so you can recommend what they do So you can know if it needs immediate action – is it dangerous? Because there may not always be the option of passing it on to a film archive right away

Funded by: © AHDS Dangers of decomposition Vinegar syndrome Typical pattern of decay 1. Vinegar odour 2. Shrinkage 3. Cupping: the film retains a curve. It will not lie flat but instead appears wavy Nitrate film

Funded by: © AHDS Devising a preservation plan TAPE survey Conducted in 2005 – almost 400 responses from museums, libraries, archives, academics institutions, commercial companies and private collectors across the EU Demonstrated a clear need for support –Collections held outwith specialist repositories –Staff not trained to deal with AV material –Little knowledge of holdings and condition –Lack of preservation plans

Funded by: © AHDS TAPE survey – some figures Half of the respondents don’t have AV remit but 80% still keep the records themselves 60% say staff aren’t trained to work with AV material 15% don’t know what material they have or it’s condition Two thirds of respondents don’t have a preservation plan

Funded by: © AHDS Devising a preservation plan Find out what you hold – map your collection Divide the collection into categories that have distinct preservation requirements Evaluate what you have –Age –Physical condition (storage) –Value of content

Funded by: © AHDS Devising a preservation plan Find out what you have to invest – map your resources Staff Equipment Facilities Funding Using the two maps prioritise the work to be done

Funded by: © AHDS Sustainability… The value of access Prelinger archive Government data EU study found the US government investment twice as much but economic value generated ten times as much US: 19bn  750 bn EU: 9.5bn  68bn

Funded by: © AHDS The value of archives Netherlands Institute of Sound and Vision newly opened Large scale investment Purpose built Brings AV material together from whole country Must be given a copy of all publicly funded broadcast material – rapidly growing collections Incorporates a large exhibition space (visitor attraction)

Funded by: © AHDS

Funded by: © AHDS

Funded by: © AHDS

Funded by: © AHDS

Funded by: © AHDS Compromises Location of archive Loss of repository Specifications Architect’s rules Aesthetic over function? Need to vocalise needs even if you’re being well funded

Funded by: © AHDS Value of archives Images for the future project –Large scale Dutch conservation and digitisation programme for film, television, radio and photos –173 million euro over 7 years –Money put up by finance ministry NOT culture –Estimate investment will give return of over 600 million euros over initial outlay Exotic Europe

Funded by: © AHDS Thanks! Any questions?