Mapping the Magnetic Media Landscape: Lessons from Archives Across the U.S.

As part of the Mapping the Magnetic Media Landscape study, BAVC Media’s Research and Development Manager, Kailen Sallander, and Director of Special Programs Kelli Shay Hix conducted site visits to three archives across the United States including  ENTRE, ‘Ulu’ulu, and Smithsonian Institution’s Audiovisual Media Preservation Initiative.

This initiative aims to develop a comprehensive, data-driven understanding of analog audiovisual media digitization and conservation efforts nationwide. By engaging directly with organizations working on magnetic media preservation, the project seeks to identify challenges, share creative solutions, and foster collaboration within the field.

Below, Kailen reflects on the lessons learned from these organizations.

Purpose of the site visits and its connection to the survey

Last November, my colleague Kelli Shay Hix and I traveled to three different archives working with audio-visual material on magnetic media formats. This was the final stage in the data collection process for our forthcoming study, Mapping the Magnetic Media Landscape. The overall goal of the study is to build on BAVC Media’s long history of contributing to analog audio-visual media digitization and conservation by building an understanding of the field across the United States. The study will identify the greatest challenges and changes in the field.

After surveying 130 organizations, and interviewing 23 more, we wanted to dig deeper into the context in which these cultural heritage stewards are working. So, we set off to visit three archives of varying sizes, serving a variety of communities in diverse geographic locations. Our hosts let us tag along for a full work day and sat down with us for fruitful discussions about their work and their position in their communities. The results will be published as three case studies so that others can glean best practices and creative solutions from organizations they see themselves most aligned with. 

Organizations visited in locations including Texas, Hawai’i and Washington D.C. 

 

Kelli and I first traveled to the Rio Grande Valley during Home Movie Day to write a case study highlighting ENTRE. They are a community-driven worker-owned organization that digitizes community footage in-house, building on their partnership with Texas Archive of the Moving Image. I was blown away at how seamlessly the team has integrated their role as a  film center and regional archive – a steadfast execution of their original vision! I left knowing that ENTRE shows us what it looks like to practice community preservation and openly invite others to join in that practice.  

Tim Lake, our Director of Preservation also visited ENTRE last year. He instructed a two-day, in-person version of the Hands-On Training With Analog Video (HOT-AV) initiative. Tim noted after the workshop that, “We’re able to gain perspective from the efforts of radical archivists like those at ENTRE, whose resilience has protected cultural erasure under a complex network of challenging circumstances”.

We then travelled to Oahu, Hawai’i to visit ‘Ulu’ulu the state’s official archive for moving images that collects from organizations across Hawai’i. The team demonstrated how a regional network of archives working together proves successful, notably when facing geographic isolation. The team here has outstanding relationships with the creators of collection material and leverages their structure within the Academy for Creative Media System at the University of Hawai‘i to provide significant digitization of and access to endangered media related to the region’s culture and history. Ulu’ulu also helped us facilitate meetings with other outstanding organizations who let us learn about their work including the Hula Preservation Society, the Kamehameha Schools Archive, and the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Library.

Our final stop was to the Smithsonian Institution’s Audiovisual Media Preservation Initiative (AVMPI) in Washington D.C. As a pan-institutional team, they have set up a well rounded effort and thoughtful coordination to support the preservation needs of different Smithsonian agencies – from start to finish through three digitization labs. Although they are a termed initiative they execute not only digitization but internal education on audiovisual material. They also demonstrated a unique digital av preservation strategy that will be important for the field to consider. 

Final thoughts 

Our travels to these three distinct archives have been nothing short of inspiring. Each location provided a unique lens on the ongoing efforts to preserve magnetic media, while they all shared a deep commitment to their communities and to advancing the field of audiovisual preservation.

As we continue to gather insights for Mapping the Magnetic Media Landscape, we are more convinced than ever that the future of preservation lies in collaboration and a variety of approaches based on the needs of the community—whether that’s between different archives, preservation vendors, funders or community members.

The creative solutions that surfaced on this trip will be critical to help us move toward the preservation and access of the audiovisual materials under threat of being lost to time. We hope the upcoming case studies, and the full report will help us to build a more resilient and connected preservation community and it’s advocates. Thank you ENTRE, ‘Ulu’ulu and AVMPI for opening your doors and letting us learn from your expertise!