Amigos Hosts Audio Visual Preservation Online Conference

As it is with most things, age is not kind to audio visual media. Not only that, but many of the machines that play them have or will become obsolete. How libraries preserve these materials and provide access to them was the theme of the online conference "Fast-Forward >> The Future of Audio Visual Materials," hosted by the Amigos Imaging & Preservation Service (IPS) Friday, September 7.

IPS Manager Gina Minks estimated that over 120 persons participated in the conference, reflecting 22 groups and 56 individuals in 26 states. Participants represented public and academic libraries, library systems, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Motorola, the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, and ProQuest.

Keynote speaker for the event was George Blood, owner of George Blood, L.P., which specializes in audio, video, and film preservation. His presentation was entitled "New, Old, Web, Whatever: Does Anyone Ever Listen to Any of This Stuff?"

Speakers included:

• Stefan Elnabli, Moving Image and Sound Preservation Specialist, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
• Jennifer M. Eustis, Catalog/Metadata Librarian, and French & Francophone Studies Librarian, University of Connecticut Libraries
• Nadia Ghasedi, Film & Media Archivist, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
• Siobhan C. Hagan, Audiovisual Preservation Specialist, University of California at Los Angeles
• Jim Hearon, Digital Media Specialist, University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Juliana Nykolaiszyn, Assistant Professor/Oral History Librarian, Oklahoma State University
• Kimberly Peach, Web Editor, Association of Recorded Sound Collections
• Patrice-Andre Prud’homme, Head of Digital Collections, Illinois State University
• Joshua Ranger, Senior Consultant, AudioVisual Preservation Solutions
• Ann Marie Willer, Preservation Librarian, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA

All the sessions were recorded and the archive is available for purchase by contacting Elizabeth Klein at Amigos.

Positive tweets, using the hashtag #amigosavconf, included "Most excellent presentation on identifying film stock by Nadia Ghasedi." Another attendee tweeted, "You've done it again Amigos! I received a LOT of very valuable information that will be used."

Minks was pleased with the conference and the positive comments she received afterwards. "I am happy that Amigos is able to do these conferences, and I try to include speakers that normally wouldn’t present at conferences in the region," she said. She noted that IPS plans to do another online conference next August and invites thoughts on possible topics. "We'll decide on the topic in the spring, so please let us know if there is a topic you would like to hear more about."

"What's Around the Next Bend: Future Currents in Resource Sharing" is the title of a November 15 online conference co-sponsored by Amigos and the Texas State Library & Archives Commission. Additional details and registration information will be available in early October.