{"id":6809,"date":"2017-08-30T11:44:02","date_gmt":"2017-08-30T15:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6809"},"modified":"2017-12-19T17:01:23","modified_gmt":"2017-12-19T21:01:23","slug":"the-c-span-chronicles-part-v-cassette-tapes-and-dats-and-u-matics-oh-my-or-processing-audiovisual-materials-in-the-c-span-papers-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6809","title":{"rendered":"The C-SPAN Chronicles: Part V – Cassette Tapes, and DATS, and U-matics, Oh My! or Processing Audiovisual Materials in the C-SPAN Papers Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello all! Amanda here with another edition of the C-SPAN Chronicles. This week I will be discussing the challenges of processing audiovisual materials in archival collections, and the specific challenges I have encountered when processing them in the C-SPAN papers. Let\u2019s go!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

A sampling of AV material in the C-SPAN papers.<\/p><\/div>\n

Imagine you open a box. Inside are various analog audiovisual materials – from VHS tapes, cassette tapes, and CDS, to big bulky tapes that you\u2019ve never seen before, and tiny tapes no bigger than a post-it note. Not only are these materials varied, some of them have labels indicating their contents, some have the remnants of labels that have fallen off, and some are completely blank. Some are formats you\u2019ve never seen before (Why is this tape bigger than my head? See below) and some are all-too familiar (what can I say, I grew up in the \u201890s.) Regardless, as an archivist, it is your task to arrange and describe this box of materials to the best of your ability. But how do you do this with minimal professional knowledge of audiovisual materials, and nothing else to go on?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

This meme accurately expresses the emotions of many archivists who face processing analog AV materials. Source: Google Images.<\/p><\/div>\n

This scenario is the one I faced with the C-SPAN papers, and I knew it was going to be the most challenging series to arrange in the entire collection. Though I have dealt with analog AV materials before in my archival career, I am much more comfortable with the digital side of things – digital files, checksums, and the like. Some archivists specialize in Media Preservation in graduate school, but I and many an archivist have not taken this route and are left with a cursory knowledge of these materials. However, I\u2019m never one to shy away from a challenge. I knew that I should dive straight into this AV maelstrom, and hopefully I\u2019d gain some new skills in the process. Because I knew that I\u2019d eventually process this portion of the collection, I sought out a Society of American Archivists workshop on AV materials in archival collections, and took away much valuable information and insight. Some misconceptions I previously held about processing these materials were slashed. I learned:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

I took this photo before I became the C-SPAN Project Archivist, but I still find it relevant to the topic at hand.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n