An audiovisual archive is concerned with the preservation and access to films, videos, audio recordings, images, television, radio, and other audio and visual media, rather than written documents. In addition to media, it distinguishes itself from other forms of archiving by having its tradition of theory, a body of research, principles, vocabulary, and unique skills, as well as specific sets of standards to follow. Changes in technology create challenges with cost, access, preservation, and training.
The first audiovisual archives began in the early 20th century. In the second half of the century, technology and formats proliferated, requiring distinct archival practices, standards, and means of access on a global scale.
There is an ongoing conversation about audiovisual archiving existing as a distinct field. The Audiovisual Philosophy and Principles document from UNESCO cites practitioners coming from film, television, and radio rather than established archival training programs as a unique characteristic of audiovisual archivists. Scoped training, certificates, and specialized degrees help make an argument that it is a distinct discipline. Providing access and preservation for audiovisual archival material is "no less important, and in some contexts more important, than other kinds of documents or artifacts."
As with any kind of archiving, challenges exist with preservation and access. More unique to audiovisual archiving, the diversity of audiovisual materials, both in digital and physical formats, adds a layer of complexity.
Another challenge is "an exponentially growing literature base is now beyond the capacity of any one individual to master comprehensively." Whereas archives were largely physical items, the transition to digitized, partly digital, and born-digital works has introduced complications to the field. A proliferation of standards has both helped address these complications and entrench them further.
Concerns like the fragility of physical material, copyright, and persistent development of new digital formats provide additional obstacles for audiovisual archives. Large-scale data management and preservation can be expensive and technically challenging.
Similar to other archives, but modified for specific media, audiovisual archives follow similar principles. Some of these principles are:
Audiovisual archives follow standards and models for consistency, interpretability, clarity, and efficiency. These standards commonly include:
Standards like these can assist with the management and sharing of records in audiovisual archives. They can help ensure an archive's compatibility, accessibility, and long-term preservation of records over time.
Digital preservationists require specific file type information to make the best decisions for long-term digital preservation. The following formats have been recommended for images, audios, and video files: JPEG 2000, TIFF, FLAC, MP3, Wave, Broadcast Wave, Digital Cinema Package (DCP), Motion JPEG 2000, MPEG-2, MPEG-4.
The Library of Congress releases a Recommended Formats Statement every year, which includes a list of recommended and acceptable formats that are most ideal for preservation and future access. The 2023-2024 preferred video formats are Interoperable Master Format (IMF), FFV1 (Matrovska .mkv wrapper), ProRes, MPEG-2, and XDCAM. In the 2023-2024 Recommended Formats Statement, the FFV1 format was upgraded from an "acceptable" to a "preferred" format for video.