AVPreserve Seeking Institution for SAA 2014 Service Project

In conjunction with the events around Society of American Archivists 2014 annual meeting in Washington, DC, AVPreserve is planning an archival day of service centered on an audiovisual collection. We are currently seeking an institution with an audio, video, film, or mixed audiovisual collection in need of help, and who will be willing and able to allow 10-20 archival professionals into their facilities to work with the collections. Many a/v collections are severely under-processed, a state that inhibits preservation planning, budgeting, and ability to provide access.

As part of this service project, a group of volunteers will come and generate an item level inventory of your collection, the exact fields depending on the size of the collection and the amount of information available on the items. This inventory can be used to help budget and plan for reformatting, help unhide the collection, or become the basis of a finding aid or other record set used for search and retrieval. Depending on available equipment we may be able to offer assistance around arrangement and housing. Following up on the inventory, AVPreserve will provide a basic preservation plan for the collection, including reformatting specifications, condition assessment, prioritization for reformatting, and recommendations for the care of original materials. We are primarily interested in collections related to the people and culture of DC or the nearby region. Oral histories, home movies, or institutional records of local organizations or community groups are particularly good candidates. Please contact Joshua Ranger (josh{at}avpreserve[dot]com) with interest or potential leads.