the analoque archive beyond digitization. anoud goos, the netherlands institute for sound and vision

The analogue archive beyond digitization

Arnoud Goos, Ingest coordinator, Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision

09-10-2015 Arnoud Goos, Ingest coordinator, Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision


- What we did with our analogue archive after digitization

- Discarding policy

- Optimal use of the created space

Arnoud Goos, Ingest coordinator 309-10-2015

in a few seconds and numbers

90,000 hours of video

20,000 hours of film

100,000 hours of audio

2,500,000 photos


From Analogue to Digital



After the large digitization project the question arouse what to do with the analogue carriers.


What part is worth saving?

Can a digital file replace the original master?

What are the criteria for throwing out analogue carriers?

How can you safely discard archive materials?

Arnoud Goos, Ingest coordinator 7

General collection policy for discarding carriers at NISV:

- The overall technical quality of the analogue carrier

- Doubling in carriers/viewing copies

- The lack of quality, aesthetically or in content (no longer corresponding with our collection policy)

09-10-2015

Criteria for discarding and destroying analogue carriers

Photo by christian kurz (flickr)


Checks on digitized video/audio carriers

- Is the digital file available?- And is there a digital back-up?

- Is the metadata available?- Is there a retraceable quality check?

- Software or visually

- Relation between technical specs of the file and the tape- Is the resolution of the file at least comparable to the analogue carrier?

- Has the analogue carrier become obsolete?- E.g. a BCN tapes have been succesfully copied to digital betacam format in the past. The BCN is obsolete

09-10-2015

Criteria for discarding and destroying archive materials


After (successful) digitization

we keep the:• Analogue master tape (e.g. digital betacam, the 35mm/16mm film)

we throw out:• The analogue copies of the master tape (e.g. viewing tapes like VHS, Umatic, copy digibeta)• Obsolete analogue master tapes (e.g. baked BCN tapes that are no longer playable)

we also keep:• At least three examples of discarded formats in our object-collection (considering different

brands, types) -> to represent the history of video/film/audio formats

09-10-2015

Some examples


Digital-S issues

Discarding and destroying archive material

1319-09-2015


Discarding carriers creates free space in your depot for the ever expanding collection

Next question: What to do with all this free space?

Evaluate the way carriers are stored in the depot

09-10-2015

What to do next?


4 different climate controlled depot area’s

1: RH 50% / 12 ° celcius (i.g. film)

2: RH 35% / 16 ° celcius (i.g. video)

3: RH 45% / 17 ° celcius (i.g. audio)

4: RH 51,5% / 19 ° celcius (objects: i.g. props, TV equipment)


Depot for color film

-5° Celcius

The art repository of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands located in Rijswijk


The nitrate bunker at the beach near Scheveningen


• It makes your collection clearer and stronger

• It creates free space in your depot for the ever expanding collection

09-10-2015

Advantages of de-selection


Arnoud Goos, [email protected]

Thank you for your attention

the analoque archive beyond digitization. anoud goos, the netherlands institute for sound and vision

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