The atgof website

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Tatws Newydd > Atgof


I'll be leaving the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales this week!

As a cheeky young upstart, I was involved with setting up the NLW audiovisual archives right from the very start, back in the late seventies. Despite taking up several posts at the Library (Celtic collection indexer, systems analysis, computing, corporate planning, photo archives...zzzzz) I always kept my my hand in with the audiovisual collection, and in the nineties reconfigured it as the Sound and Moving Image Collection.

In April 2001 I was extremely lucky and honoured to be given the task of founding and developing the new National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales. It's been a wonderful 10 years at the helm, and I'm very proud of the achievements of the Archive and its totally dedicated and highly professional staff.

I've been very lucky in my career, having "been there" at the start of many new initiatives - which I suppose suited my "let's move on" temperament. So after 10 years leading NSSAW, with an early retirement package on offer and with insufferably itchy feet, I felt it was time to make a new start; which brings me to the name change of this blog.

"Tatws Newydd" (New Potatoes) is dead, but "Atgof" is born! Atgof is the Welsh word for a memory, or a recollection. Not that I intend living in the past, but rather I shall use the knowledge I've accumulated of the past, of how to manage our heritage, to help define future ventures.

So, expect the nature of this blog to change somewhat over the coming year in response to my changed circumstances, and a new non-corporate-freedom to comment and reflect, not just to refer.

But first of all, it's time to get to grips with those post-retirement chores that have been lined up for me...

Thanks for following.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Europeana blog

Europeana has a new blog. See link below right on this page.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

A digital agenda for Europe

A digital agenda for Europe

Everyone interested in the challenges of the information society
can take part in implementing the Digital Agenda. The 101 actions
announced in that strategy are not just a "to do" list for the European
Commission – it is a call to everyone to join in! The overall aim of the
Digital Agenda is to deliver sustainable economic and social benefits from
a digital single market based on fast and ultra fast internet and
interoperable applications.

in the FRAME

FRAME
Future for Restoration of Audiovisual Memory in Europe

A training course on new technologies applied to the restoration, digitization, preservation and use of audiovisual media archives.

2 parts June and October 2011.

The working language of the course will be English. Each session is open to 12 participants. Deadline for application is May 6th 2011.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Past Forward in Australia

ABC (Australia) Open Archives Project releases works under creative commons as a sub-project to Past Forward (brilliant project name by the way ABS).

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

New Zealand Film Archive

I'm sure our hearts go out to the the people of Christchurch at this devastating time.

Although the New Zealand Film Archive (Ngā Kaitiaki O Ngā Taonga Whitiāhua) is based in Wellington, its database is hosted in Christchurch, and is currently unavailable.

The New Zealand Film Archive website (which is well worth a visit, even without the database) has a link on their homepage to the earthquake appeal site. Why not follow the link, and donate.