RIPDASA’S Free Digital Preservation Webinars Nominated for Award

For the first time ever, the Digital Preservation Committee (DPC) Awards have nominated a Spanish-language program for recognition of making significant and innovative contributions to maintaining digital legacy. The “Spanish Language Webinars Program in Digital Preservation of Sound and Audiovisual Archives“ was created by RIPDASA to provide practical information about the management and care of digital archives to minimize the risk of loss of sound and audiovisual collections in the region. The program has been nominated for a DPC award within the category of The Dutch Digital Heritage Network Award for Teaching and Communications. RIPDASA is the spanish acronym for the Ibero-American Network for Digital Preservation of Sound and Audiovisual Archives.

RIPDASA’s Perla Olivia Rodríguez Reséndiz says this as an important step for the organization, “DPC is a recognized international association for Digital Preservation. It has so far been present mostly in Europe and North America, so the fact that they have considered a Spanish-language project is a great recognition of our efforts and also an indication of the impact this program is having worldwide.”

RIPDASA, is a volunteer-led, global, organization seeking to preserve digital heritage within the Ibero-American global regions. In just two years RIPDASA has accomplished a tremendous amount of work through the dedicated network of people and organizations. RIPDASA is pioneering documentation about the state of preservation in Ibero-American collections through surveys, reports, education/training, presentations and outreach at global conferences, and an interactive archives website. 

RIPDASA is truly a global collaboration that was created with support of Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo (CYTED). It is coordinated by Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and participating organizations include Universidad Estadual de Campinas de Brasil, Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar de Ecuador, Universidad de Chile, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad de la República de Uruguay, Universidad de San Martín de Porres de Perú, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Radio y Televisión Nacional de Colombia and the company AVP. In Addition, the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA), the International Federation of Television Archives (FIAT/IFTA) and the Ibermemoria Program have joined to strengthen the initiative.

A critical aspect of RIPDASA’s impetus for formation and its continuing mission is that practices around digital preservation developed predominantly in Europe and North America are not always realistic or applicable for the Ibero-American region. Acknowledging the need to meet organizations where they are at, rather than operating with a perception of where they should be, is an important distinction for making progress and building cross-cultural collaboration. 

Pamela Vizner, consultant, reflects on AVP’s role and the impact of the program, “It has been an honor for AVP to be part of RIPDASA since day one and offer support to such an impactful project. We are delighted to see that the webinars have reached such a diverse community and that we are offering meaningful resources to Spanish and Portuguese speaking professionals. The success of the program and the DPC nomination are a confirmation that we are going in the right direction, I look forward to what the future brings!”

As soon as it formed in 2019, RIPDASA  jumped right into responding to present needs in a race against time for protecting the knowledge and culture held in both analog and digital audiovisual archives. Their educational efforts, exemplified by the DPC award nominated webinar series, is linking people together across oceans and borders and providing critical professional development support to the people caretaking collections on a daily basis. Perla Olivia Rodríguez Reséndiz says the attendees “are eager to learn and communicate with each other, people are very responsive and always have very interesting questions, it’s a great audience!” The DPC Awards will be announced on November 5th on World Preservation Day.

The webinar series would not be possible without the contribution of Georgina Sanabria and Oscar Carrillo, who together with Perla Olivia Rodríguez and Pamela Vízner, put their time and energy every month to make these happen. The free 2020 Webinar series, running from March to November, has had over 855 unique participants, representing over 23 countries and nearly 500 different organizations ranging from national archives, libraries, TV and radio, universities, government agencies, regional historical organizations, and more. Register here for the 2020 series and check out past ones here.

Going forward, RIPDASA is looking for sustainability. Funding for research runs out in 2022 and they currently are relying on professionals to donate their time for the webinar curriculum and instruction. Learn how to support RIPDASA by connecting with Perla Olivia Rodríguez Reséndiz by email or on Twitter. 

What people are saying about RIPDASA and the webinars:

“The RIPDASA webinars in Iberoamerica are accessible content that contributes to the enrichment of the culture and heritage of related societies; the exposed knowledge influences the development of professionals and their archives by providing them with tools to face the transformations and challenges of the real world”. Ubaldo Candia Reyna, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, México

“The webinars on digital preservation support the rescue of the sound and audiovisual archives of the Ibero-American region, which are exceptionally rich, since they reflect multiculturalism and a millenary, different and exceptional culture where the voice and the thought of its writers, musicians and creators, but also of its people who live their traditions and festivals sharing their worldview.” Mariela Salazar, Fonoteca Nacional de México

“The RIPDASA webinars confirm that the only possible way to save heritage lies in inter-institutional and interdisciplinary collaboration and sustained work with a view to the long term. ” Mónica Maronna Giordano, Universidad de la República, Urugua

“The webinars show a broad panorama of the archival tasks that are so necessary in Latin America at different levels of development. I believe that it is a unique experience to get to know and see different views of the work that people who must analyze content are faced with daily, to look at the successes and failures in the context of archives at different levels of development. To listen to experiences that enrich our work is very important and fundamental when making decisions, regarding the transitions involved in new workflows for digitization.” Amira Arratia, Televisión Nacional de Chile

Audio Testimonials:

Francisco Miranda, Universidad de Chile

Mariela Salazar, Fonoteca Nacional de México

 

FAQ’s About RIPDASA’s Webinar Series

How can I register for the webinars?

Registration is free and open to up to 500 attendees per session. Register here for the remaining sessions in October and November. 

How can I view past webinars from 2019 and 2020?

We’ve got 2019 and 2020 webinars, complete with synchronized transcripts and closed captions. Browse the whole collection here or view a playlist of the 2020 webinars.

What are the key components that came together to make these webinars happen?

1. The commitment of RIPDASA to offer resources that will help mitigate the risk of loss of AV archives in the Ibero-American region. It is part of RIPDASA’s objectives to offer resources that align with the context of our region. This relates to the work RIPDASA is doing to gather quantitative and qualitative information about AV archives in the region. The results of this work will also inform the webinars program moving forward.
2. The past experience of the RIPDASA members was key: we are aware of the lack of training resources in our countries and we have a good sense of the major needs organizations and professionals have.
3. Leverage of our own professional networks to find great presenters that align with the topics we needed.
4. Willingness of presenters to donate their time for the cause (as much as we want, we don’t have resources to pay them for their time and work). They are a key component of this program and we are so grateful!!!
5. Our attendees, they are eager to learn and communicate with each other, people are very responsive and always have very interesting questions, it’s a great audience.

Who is donating their time to teach and support the webinars?

Mariela Salazar Hernández, Fonoteca Nacional de México; Carmen Ordoño e Ing. Ricardo Mendoza Rodríguez, Fonoteca Nacional de México; Luisa Fernanda Ordoñez, Señal Memoria, Colombia; Perla Olivia Rodríguez Reséndiz, UNAM; Pamela Vizner, AVP; Matteo Manfredi, Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Ecuador; María Teresa Ortiz, de la Fonoteca Nacional de México; Francisco Miranda, de la Universidad de Chile; Ubaldo Candia, de la Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí; Gerardo León, de la Filmoteca de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Mónica Maronna, Universidad de la República de Uruguay; Margarida Ullate i Estanyol de la Biblioteca de Cataluña, España; Amira Arratia, de Televisión Nacional de Chile; David Leija, de la Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipa; Miquel Termens, de la Universidad de Barcelona.

What countries have been represented at the webinars by attendees and presenters?

Portugal, Dominican Republic, Brazil, United States of America, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Peru, Ecuador, Canada, Italy, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Egypt, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Guatemala

Where can I find other Spanish-language resources about digital preservation?

“Una introducción básica al almacenamiento digital para preservación” Amy Rudersdorf, AVP

“El lado humano de la tecnología (un replanteamiento)”, Kara Van Malssen, AVP

“Selección de Tecnologías para la Preservación Digital”, Pamela Vizner, Miquel Térmens

“Auditoría de Preservación Digital con NDSA Levels” Miquel Térmens, David Leija.

Recursos variados en página de la Asociación de Archivistas de Imágenes en Movimiento (AMIA)

FAQ’s About RIPDASA

What does RIPDASA mean

RIPDASA is the English acronym for the Spanish organization name- “Red Iberoamericana de Preservación Digital de Archivos Sonoros y Audiovisuales”, translated to English as the “Ibero-American Network for Digital Preservation of Sound and Audiovisual Archives.

What has already been published by RIPDASA?

We are keeping the community up to date through blog posts, social media, and presenting at conferences. We have also mapped archives in Ibero-American through the online tool called the Sound and Audiovisual Archives Observatory. 

What support and/or resources does RIPDASA need to continue the webinars and other efforts? 

1. RIPDASA has been funded for 4 years, which means 2022 is the last year we will have resources for our research efforts.
2. Sustainability is one of our main concerns and we would like to become part of a larger professional association to obtain continuous support. We already are partnering with some (IASA, FIAT/IFTA).
3. We would like to organize more in-depth, structured training programs, but we need the infrastructure to do it. We would also like to offer compensation to our presenters, we are aware this is an issue.

How can I connect further with the RIPDASA community?

1. Follow us on Twitter!
2. We will be presenting at the AMIA conference this year.
3. We will be presenting in the annual conference IASA/FIAT this year.
4. We are organizing the “International Meeting of Sound and Video Archives: The roads of rituality and technology for the preservation of heritage” and our annual meeting in collaboration with our partner Radio y Televisión Nacional de Colombia, which will take place online on November 19th.