THE SECTION 108 DILEMMA: RED TAPE, VIDEOTAPE, AND DIGITAL CONVERSION VENDOR EXPERTISE: BLC AUDIO REFORMATTING Media Community of Interest April 26, 2019 BRYCE ROE, MANAGER of AUDIO PRESERVATION SERVICES [email protected] NORTHEAST DOCUMENT CONSERVATION CENTER AGENDA • A bit about NEDCC • Outsourcing digitization: when and why • Working with vendors • Identification, evaluation and selection of vendor(s) • Prepping for outsourced digitization • What to expect with completed project • Resources NEDCC is a nonprofit that serves collections- holding institutions nationwide by offering conservation treatment, digital imaging, audio preservation, assessments and consultations, training programs, disaster assistance, and free web resources. AUDIO PRESERVATION SERVICES • Conservation/Preservation • Cleaning, re-housing, repair • Mold remediation • Stabilization/mitigation of “sticky-shed” • Digital imaging and conservation of original containers and related materials • Consulting • Collection/item-level assessments of audio holdings/carriers • Workshops, webinars, customized training, AV online Textbook NORTHEAST DOCUMENT CONSERVATION CENTER PRESERVATION REFORMATTING Magnetic Audio Grooved Media • ¼” Open-reel audio tape With IRENE • Cassette tape • Lacquer disc • Digital Audio Tape (DAT) • Aluminum transcription disc • Wax cylinder • Tin foil • Other rare formats With Stylus • Metal master disc • Long-play (LP) vinyl disc • Shellac disc IRENE Non-contact approach Able to digitize damaged, fragile media NORTHEAST DOCUMENT CONSERVATION CENTER IRENE AUDIO PRESERVATION AT NEDCC 2015 Mellon awards NEDCC grant to support development of audio preservation services • Magnetic tape formats • Unique collections • Specialized workflow… WORKFLOW 1:1, fully-attended transfers • One audio engineer transfers one recording at a time 100% quality control • Complete recording is listened to as it is being digitized AUDIO PRESERVATION AT NEDCC Strict adherence to professional standards • IASA, FADGI, NARA Fully-informed consent • AIC Code of Ethics • Using only vetted techniques; never “proprietary” Thorough documentation and communication AUDIO PRESERVATION AT NEDCC Good candidates • Unique collections where “stakes are high” • Fragile collections that are too risky to be transferred unattended • Clients with limited time/resources to completely listen to deliverables • Ethnographic field recordings; • Live recordings of music, speeches; • Unique recordings of historical events WHEN/WHY TO OUTSOURCE TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS E.g., • Track configuration • Recording speed • Dolby STABILIZATION/REPAIR THE SIGNAL PATH TARGET FORMATS Preservation Master: Broadcast Wave • Faithful, accurate digital surrogate of analog material • Captured “Flat” • Uncompressed • At least: 48kHz 24bit, Ideally: 96kHz 24bit resolution (depending on analog format) • Digital: captured at native sampling rate and bit depth • Embedded technical metadata • Head and Tail content DERIVATIVES • Intermediate or Mezzanine • High-quality version, but ready for use in standard systems (often lower resolution that PM, but higher than access) • A copy from which additional access copies can be made • Access: • Identify common uses • Generally lower resolution (lossy compression), enables streaming and sharing • Signal processing and trimming to improve user experiences PREPARATION AND PLANNING FOR DIGITIZATION PREP FOR DIGITIZATION COMMUNICATION! Client • Clear articulation of needs and specifications • Input (e.g., open-reel tape, cassette), output (e.g. 96-khz, 24- bit WAVE files) AND specifications to ensure preservation-oriented workflows and practices, quality assurance and control measures Vendor • Ask questions, offer suggestions, updates at logical points throughout the project WORKING WITH VENDORS Reach out early • Call or email • More formal: RFP or RFQ Evaluate • Security, storage and handling practices as well as reformatting processes • Adherence to industry standards and best practices (IASA TC-04, FADGI, NARA) Selection: • based on fit for your collection and needs • You can use more than one vendor DIGITIZATION WORKFLOWS 1:1 Parallel • Fully-attended • “High-throughput” • Heterogeneous, less • Large and homogeneous predictable collections collections • Individual calibration • Riskier • Slower and more costly • Faster and less costly Consider: • Content Value • Fragility and technical requirements of media • Quality Assurance resources PREP FOR DIGITIZATION Know what you have Inventory • Minimum • Unique ID • Format • Location • Title • Better • Description • Date • Part • Copyright/restrictions • For vendors: • Duration • Brand • Date • Condition • Physical examination, photos Consider starting with a pilot PREP FOR DIGITIZATION Know what you want • Goals for project • Preservation goals • Access goals Can inform file specifications, metadata and delivery Proper handling, packaging and shipment • Store/ship in original containers or suitable archival case • Expedited shipping to limit amount of time in transit • For especially fragile items: in-person delivery, courier, fine arts handler • Segregate and flag moldy materials Know what you’ll do with digital files and analog carriers • QC • Long-term physical storage RESOURCES PSAP Collection ID Guide • https://psap.library.illinois.edu/collection-id-guide NEDCC AV Textbook • https://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/fundamentals-of-av- preservation ARSC Guide to Audio Preservation • https://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub164/ IASA TC-05 Handling and Storage of Audio and Video Carriers • https://www.iasa-web.org/handling-storage-tc05 HOW TO APPROACH NEDCC Call or Email! • Proposals are a consultation, not a price matrix Physical examination or photos of carriers • Secure, climate controlled storage • No storage fees for pending projects • Packing and shipping tips on website Inventory or summary statistics • We provide template with information we need to estimate cost Website • “About Audio” and “Working with Audio Preservation” • Funding opportunities THANK YOU! WWW.NEDCC.ORG BRYCE ROE Q&A MANAGER OF AUDIO PRESERVATION SERVICES, NEDCC [email protected] THE MEDIAPRESERVE: SEAMLESS SERVICE AT ANY SCALE Boston Library Consortium Symposium April 26, 2019 Dawn Aveline, MLIS Director of Preservation Programs Preservation Technologies [email protected] WHO WE ARE EXPERTISE • Preservation • Libraries and Archives • Film • Audio • Vi d e o • Logistics • Quality Control • Metadata • Information Technology WHAT WE DO VIDEO AUDIO AUDIO 1" 1/4 Data Cartridge Fidelipac B Type 1" EV 16mm full-coat mag Glass Disc FILM 1 " IVC 3/4" 1630 U-matic Grooved Disc 16mm 1" Type A 3/4" U-matic Grundig Dictation Tape 16mm filmstrip 1" Type B 35mm full-coat mag Helical 17.5mm 1" Type C 8-Tra ck Hi8 22mm 1/2" CV 8mm Data Tape IC Re corde r 25mm 1/2" EIAJ I and II ADAT Lacquer Disk 28mm 1/2" non-EIAJ open reel Cassette MD-SG 35mm 1/2"Video CD-A Microcassette 35mm filmstrip 1/4" Video CD-R MiniDV 35mm full-coat mag 16mm Fullcoat MAG DA-88 Minicassette 70mm 2" Helical DAB MiniDisc 8mm 2" Quad PROCESS Quality File Return of Shipping Check-In Ingest Metadata Control delivery originals SECURE TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS CHECK-IN INGEST: AUDIO CASSETTES 24-TRACK 2” AUDIO OPEN-REEL WIRE DICTABELTS INGEST: VIDEO INGEST: FILM QUALITY CONTROL METADATA FILE DELIVERY CHALLENGES THANK YOU! Dawn Aveline, MLIS Director of Preservation Programs Preservation Technologies 800-416-2665 ext 255 [email protected].