Pre-Conference Workshop: Audiovisual Carriers and Content in Archives
When: Wednesday, May 13th 1:00-5:00pm MDT
Description: This workshop equips participants with the essential skills to identify, assess, and preserve at-risk audiovisual collections. From identification and handling of legacy formats like magnetic tape to navigating modern content digitization workflows, you’ll learn to bridge the gap between analog history and digital preservation/access. Through hands-on demonstrations, we’ll also explore storage, appraisal, and triage strategies to combat media degradation and obsolescence. Learn first steps to secure your institution’s heritage by turning "obsolete" media into enduring digital assets.
Learning Objectives
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Identification, handling, storage, and some format specifics of the most common AV types, and resources for the identification of rare formats.
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Methods to physically and intellectually arrange content and physical media carriers.
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Basic best practices in the digitization of AV content
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Basic best practices in digital preservation of AV content
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Considerations in appraisal (both physical and content-based)
Instructor: Ben Harry
Media Arts History and Audiovisual Materials Archivist, Special Collections, Brigham Young University
A media historian and audiovisual archivist, Ben Harry earned a master’s degree in Moving Image Archive Studies from UCLA which led to positions at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Library of Congress, and the Church History Library before his present position at BYU. His research interests include archival maintenance of audiovisual materials, digitization and access to archival materials, and historical records and research of radio, television, and cinema.
