Baltic Conference

"Back to analogue: preserving audiovisual resources for
digitisation and posterity"

Call for Papers

Hosts: LSAAD (Latvian State Archive of Audiovisual Documents),
Directorate General of the Latvian State Archives, with support from
the NLL (National Library of Latvia)

The deadline for abstracts is April 30, 2010.

BAAC annual conference takes place this year in
Riga, Latvia, October 4-6, 2010.

We are returning to the birthplace of the original “Riga Seminar”.

The Conference will be hosted by the Latvian State Archive of Audiovisual
Documents with support from the National Library of Latvia.

Libraries, museums, archives and other memory institutions are responsible
for audiovisual collections that are part of our cultural heritage. In recent years,
many local and international projects have focused on digitisation initiatives,
creation of access to born digital and digitised content. However, issues related
to safeguarding of analogue collections are not discussed so often.
Good preservation practices for analogue carriers are very important, not least
because there are many organisations which have limited resources for digitization.
Even large national institutions need to deal with maintenance of accumulated
analogue assets.

This conference will provide a platform for the exchange of know-how and
discussions regarding restoration, conservation and preservation of analogue
audiovisual collections. Experts in the field are expected to share their knowledge
about best practices, methods and techniques. Professionals, who are more
involved in digital activities, will learn more about the variety of analogue carriers,
their formats, mechanical and chemical properties.

Major aspects to be discussed:

Analogue collection preservation – threats, challenges and risk management

Handling and storage – best practices

Documenting and cataloguing

Content description

Types and formats

The conference will be conducted in English.
Details and address for sending abstracts can be found here