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Practical steps towards audiovisual
preservation
Sarah JonesAHDS Performing Arts
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© 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”
http://www.tape-online.net/
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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
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Passive Preservation
WaterGreatest natural enemy of audiovisual carriers
Hydrolysed tapes (sticky shed syndrome)Oxidisation of pure metal magnetic pigmentsCarriers can swell upFungus growth (65% RH and over)
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Severely hydrolysed tape
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Passive Preservation
Temperature
• Generally no direct harmful influence up to 30ºC
BUT temperature causes dimensional changesthe higher the temperature the faster the
process of deterioration
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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
http://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/shtml_sub/dl_prescalc.asp
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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
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Passive Preservation
Storage areas and shelves
• Underground storage suboptimal – basements are damp and temperature hard to control
• Make sure they’re fire protected – CO2 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
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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
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Passive preservation
Following storage and handling rules is NOT a guarantee against loss:
one copy is no copy
Minimal requirements:1. Original2. Archival master copy plus a back up (safety)
copy3. Service / access / working copy
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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
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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
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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
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What a mass store looks like
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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
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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?
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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
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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
http://www.unesco.org/webworld/points_of_views/schuller.shtml
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Film identificationYou don’t need to be a film specialist to identify
film…http://www.nfsa.afc.gov.au/screensound/screenso.nsf/AllDocs/53B36F201BAEBD32CA256B5E0079E620?OpenDocument
GaugesImages and description of gaugeshttp://www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/filmsize.html
Table of gauges, manufacturers, dates
http://www.nfsa.afc.gov.au/glossary.nsf/Pages/Film+Gauges?OpenDocument
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Film identification
Colour Film and Soundtracks Guide to colour and Soundhttp://www.paulivester.com/films/filmstock/guide.htm
Kodak date codeshttp://www.sabucat.com/?pg=datecode&z=1
General video clipshttp://www.folkstreams.net/vafp/
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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
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Dangers of decomposition
• Vinegar syndromeTypical pattern of decay 1. Vinegar odour2. Shrinkage3. Cupping: the film retains a curve. It will not lie flat but instead appears wavy
• Nitrate filmhttp://www.movieeditor.com/2005/nitrate.fire.html
http://www.filmpreservation.org/
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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
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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
http://www.tape-online.net/docs/Tape_survey_factsheet.pdf
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Devising a preservation planFind 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
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Devising a preservation planFind out what you have to invest – map your
resources
• Staff• Equipment• Facilities• Funding
Using the two maps prioritise the work to be done
http://wiki.prestospace.org/pmwiki.php?n=Main.GettingStarted
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Sustainability…
The value of access• Prelinger archive
http://www.archive.org/details/prelinger
• Government dataEU study found the US government investment twice as much but economic value generated ten times as muchUS: 19bn 750 bnEU: 9.5bn 68bn
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The value of archivesNetherlands 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)
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Funded by:
© AHDS
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© AHDS
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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
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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
