Audiovisual archives played a key role in the establishment of Ethnomusicology, in the formation of theory and method in the field, and its development over the decades. The recordings deposited in these archives can also play important roles in community self- determination, the preservation of cultural heritage, and both the revival of older traditions and the creation of new ones. Individuals and communities around the world are making new recordings with little thought about how they can be organized, preserved, and used in the future. It is important both to bring archival issues to the attention of researchers and to train professionals who are able to work productively in audiovisual archives. This course provides the documents and information to turn disorganized collections into activist repositories filled with the joy of discovery and creation.
Audiovisual Archiving in the 21st Century will address the history, present state, and future of audiovisual archives. In 10 weekly meetings, featuring guest lectures and media, the course will deal with central issues of acquisition, ethics, copyright, contracts, fieldwork, preservation, and access, as well as with nuts-and-bolts issues of technology, space, budgets, and staffing. For their final project students will write a paper that outlines the design and operation of an archive of their own devising. In this way students will have an opportunity to integrate the readings, class discussions, field trips, and their personal and professional interests into the single archives project. The material and approach of the course should be useful to all ethnomusicologists, musicologists, archivists, librarians, and those are considering careers in the fields of cultural heritage, applied ethnomusicology, and archives.
