IASA 2018 Annual Conference

Unlike earlier guidelines from the Technical Committee, IASA's "Guidelines for the Preservation of Video Recordings, IASA-TC 06", is being published in stages, reflecting the complexity of this topic (much ground to cover) and the still-emerging consensus on best practices.  Posted online in mid-2018, the initial version of TC 06 focuses on video recordings on conventional carriers, i.e., videotapes.  Although the guideline recommends the conservation and retention of the original tapes, the central preservation action consists of digitization, a term that is applied to the transfer of content from both analog and (some) digital videotapes.  Future versions of the guideline will add information digital-file-based video formats and additional types of digital videotapes.  For such source materials, the preservation actions may consist of rewrapping the recording in a fresh digital-file "wrapper," or combining digital transcoding with rewrapping.
Two parts of the guideline describe relatively settled matters: (1) "what is video," which outlines the technical complexity of the underlying formats, and (2) detailed information about the conventional carriers held by many archives: ½- and 1-inch open reels, U-matic videocassettes, ½-inch consumer and semi-professional videocassettes, and the Betacam family of professional videocassettes.  The guideline also discusses matters for which there is less consensus and/or for which practices are not yet mature, e.g., the selection of digital target formats and methods for the capture of components of the video payload beyond picture and sound, such as captioning and historical timecodes.  In addition, the guideline offers a high-level overview of a preservation facility, intended to guide archivists planning either a self-operation or the selection of contractors.