The International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) was established in 1969 to serve as a forum for international co-operation between archives, libraries, and individuals interested in the preservation of recorded sound and audiovisual documents.
IASA aims The IASA constitution states the following purposes:
To strengthen co-operation between archives and other institutions which preserve sound and audiovisual documents. To initiate and encourage activities that develop and improve the organisation, administration and contents of recorded sound and audiovisual collections, and, in pursuance of these aims, to co-operate with other organisations in related fields. To study all techniques relevant to the work of sound and audiovisual archives and other institutions which preserve these documents and to disseminate the results of such study on an international scale. To encourage, on an international level, the exchange of sound and audiovisual documents and of literature and information relating to these documents. To stimulate and further by every means the preservation, documentation and dissemination of all recorded sound and audiovisual collections.
Membership IASA has members from more than 70 countries representing a broad palette of audiovisual archives and personal interests which are distinguished by their focus on particular subjects and areas, for example: archives for all sorts of musical recordings, historic, literary, folkloric and ethnological sound documents, theatre productions and oral history interviews, bio-acoustics, environmental and medical sounds, linguistic and dialect recordings, as well as recordings for forensic purposes.
IASA activities IASA promotes the open and ongoing exchange of ideas and information on current issues in the audiovisual field via annual conferences, an IASA Journal, email list and the IASA web site.
Annual conferences IASA has held a conference each year since its inception, sometimes in partnership with related organisations. In 2010, IASA and the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) came together for the first time in a joint IASA-AMIA conference held in Philadelphia, USA. With more than 750 participants and more than 100 presentations and lectures this was one of the biggest conferences in the audiovisual archiving field ever. The 2013 conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, was held in association with the Baltic Audiovisual Archival Council. The 2019 conference was held in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Publications IASA follows closely the progress of technology and members can call upon a pool of expertise for help and advice on various aspects, ranging from digitisation to metadata to technical issues. In this regard, IASA has published a number of special publications:
The Safeguarding of the Audio Heritage: Ethics, Principles and Preservation Strategy (IASA-TC 03) Guidelines on the Production and Preservation of Digital Audio Objects (IASA-TC 04) Handling and Storage of Audio and Video Carriers (IASA-TC 05) Guidelines for the Preservation of Video Recordings (IASA-TC 06) IASA Cataloguing Rules (also a Spanish version as Reglas de Catalogación de IASA) Task Force on Selection for Digital Transfer. Ethical Principles for Sound and Audiovisual Archives
Awards and grants The organisation issues awards for outstanding contributions to the profession of sound and audiovisual archiving, as well as financial support for research, for training, and for participating in annual conferences:
Since 2004 the IASA Award of Recognition for outstanding service has been awarded each year to an IASA member The status of Honorary Member of IASA is awarded to individuals as a mark of special service in the work of sound and audiovisual archives Travel Awards are awarded annually to selected IASA members to offset the costs of active participation in an annual conference. Research Grants are awarded on an occasional basis to support original research and publication on audiovisual archiving. The Dietrich Schüller Award for Audiovisual Training supports attendance at training courses.
Collaboration IASA has long standing relationships with international organisations such as UNESCO and Europeana and is a respected partner in various international audiovisual archive projects. IASA is a founding member of the CCAAA (Co-ordinating Council of Audiovisual Archive Associations). In 2012 and 2013, IASA hosted the official website of the UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, an event held annually on 27 October to raise awareness of the significance of and threats to sound and moving image heritage worldwide.
Executive Board and President
Executive Board Term of office from 2020 to 2023:
President: Tre Berney, Director of Digitization and Conservation, Cornell University Library Past President: Toby Seay, Professor, Drexel University Vice-president (Membership): Margarida Ullate i Estanyol, Director of the Sound & Audiovisual Unit, BIBLIOTECA DE CATALUNYA Vice-president (Conferences): Perla Olivia Rodríguez Reséndiz, Instituto de Investigaciones Bibliotecológicas y de la Información, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Vice-president (Communications): Judith Opoku-Boateng, J. H. Kwabena Nketia Archives, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana Secretary-General: Elisabeth Steinhäuser, Multimediales Archiv / Audioarchiv, Österreichischer Rundfunk Orf/ Austrian Broadcasting Corporation Treasurer: Yuri Shimoda, UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive Editor: Jennifer Vaughn, Archive Unit, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Web Manager: Richard Ranft, Head of Sound & Vision The British Library
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