UNESCO has a multimedia archives wing that contains archival evidence of over 70 years of efforts towards international peace and understanding covering the organisation’s wide ranging fields of competence. With the goal of preservation of audiovisual heritage, UNESCO archives launched the project called “Digitizing our shared UNESCO memory” in 2015. This fundraising project was launched with the motive of digitizing UNESCO’s archives dating back to its predecessor, the League of Nations’ International Institute for Intellectual Cooperation.
UNESCO decided to digitize its archives since its physical records had started showing signs of wear and tear due to frequent use. Also, the analogue formats in some of its audiovisual collections dating as far back as the 1940s made it difficult and in some cases impossible to consult. Hence, digitizing the archives will help preserve the original material as also ensure continued access.
With support from the Government of Japan, UNESCO launched a two-year initiative, in partnership with Picture BV, a Netherlands-based company, to set up an onsite laboratory. This lab, installed at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris in February 2018, will function till the end of 2019. The lab will be at the forefront of the digitizing effort of the UNESCO archives.
Picture Credit : Google
