Unlocking the Value inDynamic Media Archives

Tyler Leshney, Bert Creighton

Eighth Annual Maritime Heritage ConferenceOctober 11, 2007

Star of India

Unlocking Maritime Archives

• State of the Archive

• The Great Archival Battle

• A New Archive Vision

• Strategies That Work

Nearly a Century of Media Expertise

• Founded in 1915

• World leader in film and DVD

• Recipient of over tenScientific Academy Awards

• Global presence

Media Definitions

• Film

• Video

• Audio

• Prints & negatives

• All formats• current• obsolete

Media Definitions

• Media, by nature, are both tangibleand intangible

• We can hold a film in our hands, but isit the film that is valuable?

• The content matters most

• Goal as archivist is to preserve thecontent – the “essence”

• Notable exceptions: Declaration ofIndependence

Archive Health

• Given the importance of our archives,how are we doing protecting them andmaking them available?

• Have we treated our media archives withthe same level of care and respect as wedo say…this ship?

Archive Health

• Heritage Health Index Survey• First comprehensive, national survey of

archives and collections• Distributed August 2004 to more than

14,500 archives, libraries, historical societies,museums, archaeological repositories, andscientific research collections

• Included institutions of all sizes from everyUS state and territory

• Response rate: 24% overall, 90% from 500 of thenation’s largest and most significant collections

4.2 Billion Artifacts

2.6 millionArchaeological Collections, cataloged in cubic feet

9 millionDigital Materials

21.2 millionArt Objects

40.2 millionMoving Images

43.6 millionUnbound Sheets, cataloged in linear feet

46.4 millionRecorded Sound

48.3 millionHistoric Objects

54.6 millionOnline Files

95.8 millionUnbound Sheets, cataloged in items

197.8 millionArchaeological Collections, individually cataloged

727.4 millionPhotographic Collections

820.2 millionNatural Science Specimens

1 billionMicrofilm/Microfiche

1.7 billionBooks/Bound Volumes

Source: IMLS 2005 Heritage Heath Survey

Long-term Vision

• Over 70% of institutions don’t have an active plan for thelong-term care of their collections

Archive Conditions

• Over 60% of all image and sound material are in anunknown or “in-need” condition

How Does Your Institution Fare?

• Consider your archive’s health…

• Storage demands and requirements forimproving security

• Environmental management

• Resources consumed providing access and improvingpreservation

• How would you rate each of these efforts?

One of History’s Greatest Battles:Access vs. Preservation

Access

• “The increasing demand foraccess to information and forlifelong learning opportunitiesin today’s knowledge society…and the increasingconvergence in the museum,library and media worlds isbeing driven by technology.”

Preservation

• “Preservation, orstewardship, meansensuring that the productsof society’s creation — fromthe tangible to theintangible — are cared forand made accessible forfuture generations.”

Access vs. Preservation

• Providing Access• benefit to community• increases awareness• impacts preservation• requires time and money• requires knowledge

of where to findrequested items

• need proper formats

• Providing Preservation• mandate of the museum• generally outside public

scope• requires proper physical

conditions• requires organization &

inventorying• requires experienced

staff

So, Are We At A Stalemate?

CSS Virginia vs. USS MonitorMarch 9, 1862

Source: www.americancivilwar.com

A Vision for Ending the Battle

• Manage

• Migrate

• Maximize

Vision

• New technologies are presenting pathwaysthat help put an end to the battle

• The demand for “niche” content is increasing…

• …So is the availability of “niche” funding

• New business models are emerging that allowdormant archives to come alive and generate value

• “Maritime Museums of the World…Unite!”

A New Mindset

Recognize that your archive is anasset, not a liability

Manage

• Develop a strategic media management plan:• Re-discover your archive• Address storage conditions and real-estate realities• Rigorously assess your collection

• Consider your audience and possible uses for your media• How do you want to project yourself to the world?• “Think outside the archive”

• Recognize that even in a digital world, your physicalcollection is what ultimately holds the value

Migrate

• Develop a targeted Migration Plan• Damaged or obsolescing elements• Unique/compelling content• Universal/regional/community appeal• Internal and external appeal

• Make some difficult choices• Not everything will be ‘worth’ it• Identify originals vs. copies (content and format)

• Spend money on the media, not infrastructure• Find partners to help address your needs• Capacity/expertise in the market

Maximize

• Management + Migration Maximization Cycles• Know and work with your “audiences”• Flexibility & creativity in meeting their needs• Anticipation – major exhibits, events, campaigns

• Create new value from existing elements• Closed captioning• Text transcriptions• Rich metadata (“wikidata”)

• You can end our great battle!• Recognize that our combatants can be great shipmates• Use access to fund additional preservation• Ensure value into perpetuity

Maximize

• Technology advances and content platforms have createda gale force demand for content

Maximize

• Maximization allows you to raise the ‘digital sails’

• If you make it available…they will come:• Historians, researchers, students• Visitors, volunteers, enthusiasts• Press, media, entertainment producers• Fund raisers, event managers, brand builders,

exhibit teams, visitors, donors, benefactors• Textbook publishers, museum campaign directors,

docents, museum publications

Strategies that Work

• Holistic approach

• Access + Preservation

• Case study

Holistic Approach

• Holistic approach puts archival value in contextwith the museum’s goals and objectives• Access• Outreach• Preservation• Resource generation• Ship & exhibit authenticity

• Resource generation – print publishing, stockfootage, online fulfillment of prints/audio/digitalvideo, podcasts, html email, online fundraisingcampaigns – IF you can manage your media

Access + Preservation

• By focusing on the broader goals,access and preservation can become symbiotic

• By partnering, experience in media migrationand management can unlock archival value

• By leveraging digital migration, management,distribution and fulfillment, access andpreservation support each other and extendarchival value broadly

Access + Preservation

• One plan does not fit all

• Experience guides each strategy based onmuseum objectives and archive value

• A successful program must focus on botharchive and overall organizationalobjectives

Case Study

Case Study: MMSD

• Maritime Museum of San Diego• Films, audio, video, nitrate prints• 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s• Wide range of media formats, some obsolescing• Partial/ongoing inventories of each media type• Limited storage space/variable atmospheric conditions• Limited security staff and archive volunteers

• Continual demand for archival access and newcontributions

• Understand they have a problem

• Seeking creation of a lasting physical and digital solution

Our Approach

Strategic Plan

• Identify resources, existing inventories, volunteers &interns

• Set archive goals that support the museum’smission and objectives• Education, research and maritime/Pacific

scholarship• Heritage preservation/access/interactivity

• Utilize partner with clear experiencein managing, migrating and maximizing

• Look regionally for history/heritage/cultural synergies• Look broadly for maritime synergies

Manage, Migrate, Maximize

• Test scope• Four cans of 16mm film• Three cans of 8mm film• One cassette tape• Four reels of ¼” audio tape

• Physical storage recommendations• Moved elements to archival quality containers• Creating new/consistent labels• Recommending moving collection offsite to specialized

storage facility

Manage, Migrate, Maximize

• Element migration• Inspected all physical elements/reinforced splices• “Telecined” all film elements to HD tape• Created SD copies for digitization• Digitally ingested audio elements

• Performed targeted digital restoration• Color correction/digital restoration• Selected audio restoration• Side-by-side comparisons

Manage, Migrate, Maximize

• Positioning MMSD for Maximization opportunities

• Created fully-restored DVD of “Star of India”restoration story (1961)• Web• Museum

• Created web-based tool for internal/external access• Organization from the chaos• Creation of metadata and identifying information• Linking associated content• Increased functionality for future use

Web Demo

Summary

• Recognize your archive is an asset!• Understand that Access and Preservation are no

longer at odds• Develop a strategic plan• Find kindred spirits and create scale opportunities• Utilize market and media experts• Seek out “niche” funding• Manage, Migrate and Maximize• Act before your archive slips away…

Copies of this presentation will beavailable at:

www.deluxearchivesolutions.com