Last week the IASA Journal published an article I wrote that considers how obsolescence is impacting the availability and use of audiovisual digitization software. The article considers recurring issues that impact the preservation of audiovisual materials such as abandoned software, limited options within digitization software, and the state of communication and responsiveness between preservationists and the maintainers of digitization software. Open source tools and technology have been increasingly welcomed into many aspects of archival work; however, the digitization of analog materials tends to be especially dependent on proprietary software which often has been or is being abandoned. The collaborative adoption and generation of open source solutions to digitization issues may provide archives with more choices, more control, and more sustainability when facing audiovisual digitization challenges.

open source digitization at BAVC

The article may be found in IASA Journal Number 45, under a Creative Commons Attribute license, (login required), or re-posted on this blog here.