AVP Collaboration With Latin American Network For Digital Preservation

AVP is pleased to announce our participation in the RIPDASA Project. The Ibero American Network for Digital Preservation of Audio and Audiovisual Archives (RIPDASA, by its Spanish acronym) is a four-year project supported by the Ibero American Program of Science and Technology for Development (CYTED, by its Spanish acronym). RIPDASA aims to support and develop research and training on digital preservation in the region.

RIPDASA — coordinated by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) through the Research Institute for Library Sciences and Information (IIBI) — is comprised of professionals from Universidad de la República de Uruguay, Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Ecuador; Universidad San Martín de Porres, Peru; Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad de Chile, Universidad de Bahía de Brasil, and Universidad Uniagustiniana de Colombia. The Latin American Institute for Educational Communication (ILCE), an international organization with a presence in 21 countries in the region, has also joined the initiative. AVP consultant Pamela Vizner will join the network as an advisory member in support of initiatives related to open source tools for preservation, and education.

RIPDASA aims to encourage, within its network of research groups, the identification, analysis, discussion, visibility, and dissemination of sustainable digital preservation options for sound and audiovisual collections managed by archives in the region. The ultimate goal is to reduce the risk of loss of these cultural heritage assets, and to ensure access to these materials for current and future generations through the creation of opportunities for dialogue, training, dissemination of knowledge, and networking between professionals in the field.

RIPDASA was created in response to several needs, including the following:

• The lack of formal academic programs in sound, audiovisual, and digital preservation in the region,
• Limited availability of quantitative and qualitative information about organizations and institutions in custody of sound and audiovisual heritage, and about their approach to digital preservation,
• Isolated research projects on sound and audiovisual heritage, lacking connections between origin, content, context, and administration across countries in the region.

In the first year, RIPDASA will focus on the creation of an “Observatory of Sound and Audiovisual Archives” in order to identify organizations, institutions, and individuals who are custodians of valuable heritage assets. Based on this information, each network member will conduct research to offer insights into its origin and context, creating an invaluable corpus of information for the field. The Observatory, together with the results of the research projects, will inform future activities for the network in support of the preservation of these assets.

RIPDASA, with the support of AVP, will also organize a series of free webinars focused on digital preservation of sound and audiovisual archives. Webinar dates will be announced soon.

The RIPDASA Team

General Coordinator: Perla Olivia Rodríguez Reséndiz (PhD.), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, [email protected]

Academic Research Group:

Mónica Maronna Giordanno, Universidad de la República de Uruguay.

Matteo Manfredi, Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Ecuador

Alejandro Cornejo Montibeller, Universidad San Martín de Porres, Peru.

María Teresa Fernández Bajón, Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Alicia Dora Brausin Pulido, Radio y Televisión Nacional de Colombia

Francisco Alberto Miranda Fuentes, Universidad de Chile.

Ricardo Andrade, Universidad de Bahía de Brasil.

Pamela Vizner Oyarce, AVP

Gerardo Ojeda Castañeda, ASESIC