Partners

• National Research laboratory of Cultural Property, Lucknow, India
• National Museum Institute, New Delhi, India
• Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology, American Institute of Indian Studies, Gurgaon, India
• Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, New Delhi, India
• Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi, India
• National Film Archive, Pune, India
• Fergusson College, Pune, India
• Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation des Collections (CRCC), France
• International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA)
• Masters Degree Program in Moving Image Archiving and Preservation, New York University, United States
• National Film and Sound Archive, Australia

Duration: 4 weeks (16 November - 11 December 2009)

Place: New Delhi, Pune and Gurgaon, India

Participants
The 19 course participants came from 15 countries. They represented a broad range of professionals in charge of sound and image collections in museums, archives, libraries and other cultural institutions

Background
ICCROM has introduced an international programme, SOIMA (Sound and Image Collections Conservation) to emphasize conservation training for mid-career professionals in charge of conservation and archiving of sound and image collections in cultural institutions.  Activities include creation of instructional and reference materials, training of professional staff, and encouraging collaboration between professionals in different countries.  The focus is on audiovisual collections residing in institutions that primarily care for non-audiovisual materials (libraries, museums, archives, cultural centers etc.)

SOIMA 2009 is the second international course of the programme.   It was organized in partnership with the National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property, a leading centre for Conservation in India.

Aim
The course provided heritage professionals with the basic skills and knowledge to:

• recognize materials and media of their audiovisual collections;
• identify risks posed to them and making informed choices for preservation and access of such collections;
• improve communication skills in order to promote teamwork and interdisciplinary exchanges.

Project activities
Pre-course phase
Selected readings available on the internet were chosen as mandatory pre-course material so that participants could become familiar with the terms and concepts used in the field of audiovisual preservation.

Course workshop
The four-week course workshop gave an overview of issues related to preservation and access of audio visual collections in cultural heritage institutions. The emphasis was on the preservation and management of small to medium sizeed mixed SOIMA collections. It was structured into four modules:

1. SOIMA Collections: History, Significance, Use & Management
2. Photographs and Films: Materials, Formats and Preservation
3. Audio & Video: Materials, Formats, Preservation and Access
4. Preservation Management Strategies for Mixed SOIMA Collections

Each module included several topics dealing with the composition of different audiovisual materials; their handling, storage, preservation, and ways of providing access to them.  Overarching topics were discussed throughout the course.

Participants were given time to discuss, refine and integrate the key concepts at various stages of the workshop, especially during module 4, which focused on the cost-effective strategies for managing mixed SOIMA collections.

The course workshop also offered a variety of teaching and learning activities. These included:

• A 'mini conference': At the end of the first week, a mini-conference on 'Sound and Image collections: Current Challenges and Strategies for their Conservation and Long-Term Use' included participant presentations. It documented issues related to sound and image heritage in different cultural and institutional contexts. It also served to create a better understanding of participants’ expectations of the course.

• Study visits: visits to Alkazi Foundation for the Arts and  Sangeet Natak Academy in Delhi and the National Film Archive, Pune, were organized. The aim was to review and assess the key course ideas and concepts within actual institutional contexts.

• An online SOIMA community: a limited access website has been created to facilitate communication, serving as an information and exchange platform for the course and a learning support during and after the course.

Main achievements

• Professional capacity-building: 19 professionals from 15 countries, representing 19 national or regional cultural heritage institutions have increased their knowledge and skills in audio-visual preservation. Training opportunities in this field are rare.

• Networking: the network for audiovisual preservation was reinforced by the involvement of 25 professionals from 22 countries in the SOIMA course.

• Evaluation: participant evaluations show very high levels of overall satisfaction with project coordination, themes, course materials and learning activities.

• Impact: all of the participants are engaged in projects that range from improving conservation conditions in their home institutions or increasing awareness for audiovisual preservation, to assessing risks or introducing similar courses.

Member States represented: Australia, China, France, Guatemala, Ghana, Italy, India, Kenya, Kuwait, Lithuania, Malawi, Malaysia, Pakistan, Serbia, Sri-Lanka, United States

updated on: 11 March, 2010