| Association of Moving Image Archivists | |
|---|---|
AMIA Logo |
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| Abbreviation | AMIA |
| Formation | 1990 |
| Type | 501(c) |
| Legal status | Articles of Association |
| Purpose/focus | Professional Body |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles |
| Region served | Worldwide |
| Membership | 962 (as of December 31, 2009) |
| Official languages | US English |
| President | Caroline Frick |
| Main organ | Board of Directors |
| Staff | 3 |
| Volunteers | 200 approx. |
| Website | Association of Moving Image Archivists |
The Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) is a 501(c) not-for-profit organization established to advance the field of moving image archiving by fostering cooperation among individuals and organizations concerned with the acquisition, description, preservation, exhibition and use of moving image materials.
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AMIA has its origins in an informal grouping of film and television archivists in the United States, the Film and Television Archives Advisory Committee (F/TAAC), which had existed since the mid-1960s.[1] It renamed itself the Association of Moving Image Archivists and held its first conference in 1990, and the following year formally constituted itself as an individual member-based professional body. Although AMIA's only office and salaried employees are based in the US, its membership is now drawn from across the world, with international members now constituting approximately one fifth of the total. Further information on the origins and history of AMIA can be found here.[2]
Membership is open to anyone who has an interest in the preservation of moving images and associated sound recordings: in practice, most of the membership are professional archivists (both public sector and commercial) and people working in associated professions, e.g. librarianship, the film and television industry or academics in related fields. AMIA offers both individual and institutional membership. Only individual members have voting rights and are able to participate in the work of AMIA committees.
AMIA is governed by a Board of Directors, which is elected by the membership on a two-year cycle, and chaired by a president. The Board oversees and ratifies the work of the sub-groups through which the work of the organization is undertaken. The last significant changes to the governing structure were undertaken in 2009, when the present structure of committees and task forces was introduced.
| Name | Type | Status | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-D Moving Image | Cttee of the Membership | Lapsed as of 2010 | Researches, promotes and develops understanding of the archival preservation of 3-D film and electronic moving images. |
| Academic-Archival | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Promotes research and teaching in schools and universities related to archival moving images and sound, and the education and training of archivists. |
| Access | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Supporting archivists in providing access to their collections. |
| Advocacy | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Raising the public profile of AMIA and of the moving image preservation in general. |
| Awards and Scholarships | Cttee of the Board | Active | Nominates candidates for the AMIA's annual awards program. |
| Book Publishing | Sub-Committee of the Publications Committee | Active | Oversees and supports the publication of books under AMIA's auspices. |
| Book Publishing Program | Task Force | Dissolved | Initiated professional publishing activity overseen by AMIA. Its functions have now been absorbed into a sub-committee of the Publications Committee. |
| Bylaws Review | Task Force | Dissolved | Operated during 2008 to review and recommend updates to AMIA's bylaws as necessitated by the organization's evolution and changing priorities. |
| Cataloging and Metadata | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Promotes and develops best practise in the description of and the creation of finding aids for archival moving images. |
| Conference | Cttee of the Board | Active | Programs the content of the annual conference. |
| Copyright | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Develops knowledge and expertise, informs and represents the membership on intellectual property issues affecting the profession. |
| Development | Cttee of the Board | Active | Oversees fundraising activity. |
| Digital Initiatives | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Develops knowledge and expertise, informs and represents the membership on the use of computer-based technologies in the preservation of and access provision to archival moving images. |
| Digital Issues Task Force | Task Force | Dissolved | This task force existed from 2001-02, charged with examining the ways in which AMIA could address the growing use of computer-based technologies for archival moving image preservation and access. The outcome of its work was the creation of the Digital Initiatives Committee. |
| Diversity | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Promotes awareness of diversity issues within the field. |
| Education | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Promotes and supports the education, training and professional development of moving image archivists. |
| Elections and Nominations | Cttee of the Board | Active | Nominates candidates for and oversees elections to the presidency, Board of Directors and committee chairs. |
| Future Directions | Task Force | Dissolved | This task force existed from 2007 to 2009 in order to draw attention to the rapid and fundamental changes that were taking place within the field, in particular those arising from the conversion from analog to digital technologies in media production. Among other initiatives, it organised events at the 2008 and 2009 conferences. The ongoing importance of this area was such that in 2009, the Board decided to re-form this group as a permanent committee. |
| Future Directions | Cttee of the Board | Planned | This committee, in the process of being formed as of February 2010, will review long-term trends within the field and form policies and initiatives for shaping AMIA's role in it. |
| Governance | Cttee of the Board | Planned | This committee, in the process of being formed as of February 2010, will oversee the development of, and any changes to AMIA's governing structure. |
| Independent Media | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Promotes awareness of the importance of preserving media created outside traditional, large scale production organizations. |
| Internationalization | Task Force | Dissolved | This task force existed from 1998-99 and was charged with developing ways of boosting AMIA's overseas membership. |
| International Outreach | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Raises AMIA's profile and develops initiatives to boost membership and undertake activities outside North America. |
| Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Promotes awareness of the importance of preserving media representing sexualities other than heterosexual. |
| Membership Services | Cttee of the Board | Active | Oversees AMIA's membership structure, develops initiatives to grow membership levels and increase the proportion of members who actively volunteer. |
| Moving Image Related Materials and Documentation | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Promotes awareness of the importance of preserving documents and other evidence that provides information and knowledge about preserved moving images, e.g. scripts, posters, production files, correspondence and advertising. |
| Newsletter | Sub-Committee of the Publications Committee | Active | Oversees the editing and production of the quarterly newsletter, distributed to AMIA's members (and to non-members by subscription). |
| Nitrate | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Researches, educates and raises awareness of nitrate film as a preservation medium and historical technology. |
| Preservation | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Promotes best practise in and keeps the membership abreast of developments related to the technology and techniques of preserving archival moving images and sound. |
| Open Source | Cttee of the Membership | Planned | This committee, in the process of being formed as of February 2010, will develop and promote the use of open source software and technical standards in the archiving of digital audiovisual media. |
| Projection and Presentation | Sub-Committee of the Access Committee | Dissolved | This sub-committee existed from 2004 to 2008, and was replaced by the Projection and Technical Presentation Committee. |
| Projection and Technical Presentation | Cttee of the Membership | Active | This committee exists to promote technical best practice in the projection of archival moving images in theatres and other public settings. |
| Publications | Cttee of the Board | Active | Oversees AMIA's publishing activity. |
| Regional Audio-Visual Archives | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Promotes awareness of the importance of geographically specific media and collections. |
| Scholarships | Sub-Committee of the Awards and Scholarships Committee | Active | Considers applications for, and makes recommendations to the Board for the award of the annual scholarships program. |
| Small Gauge/Amateur Film | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Researches, educates and raises awareness of the cultural importance of films made by non-professionals and of film technologies intended principally for consumer use. |
| Small Gauge Film Preservation | Task Force | Dissolved | This task force existed from 1999 to 2001, and was charged with developing ways of raising public awareness of the importance of small gauge film preservation. One of its outcomes was the creation of the Small Gauge/Amateur Film Interest Group. |
| Strategic Plan Implementation | Task Force | Dissolved | This task force developed a long-term plan for overhauling AMIA's management structure in 2007-08. |
| Television, News and Documentary | Cttee of the Membership | Active | Promotes awareness of the importance of non-fiction moving images as a source of historical evidence and cultural memory. |
| The Moving Image | Sub-Committee of the Publications Committee | Active | Oversees the editing, peer review process and production of the AMIA's academic journal, The Moving Image). |
| Website | Cttee of the Board | Planned | This committee, in the process of being formed as of February 2010, will oversee and manage AMIA's presence on the Internet. |
One of the principal activities undertaken by AMIA is the annual conference, which takes place each fall at a different city in North America. The last one took place in Austin, Texas, from November 16-19, 2011. The dates and city for the 2012 conference have not yet been announced.
This annual event offers in-depth information on a rapidly advancing technology. As the world's largest professional association of moving image archivists, AMIA is uniquely poised to bring together a broad range of experts in examining the lifecycle of a digital audiovisual asset.
AMIA operates an E-mail discussion list, known as AMIA-L, and a web-based forum (the forum was launched on July 16, 2010) to facilitate professional communication and debate within the field. Subscription to both is open to AMIA members and non-members, and is free of charge. Topics that frequently arise in online discussion include news stories and media coverage related to moving image archiving, technical issues, requests for information about specific films or archive footage for re-use in TV productions, copyright and media history in general. Potential subscribers to AMIA-L should be aware that this is a relatively high volume list, often generating 30-40 postings a day. All AMIA-L postings are archived online and available for public access. AMIA also operates closed areas of the forum and a separate e-mail list to which only its members may subscribe, the remit of which is limited to discussing the business of the organization and the work of its committees and task forces.
AMIA publishes a quarterly newsletter and edits the academic journal The Moving Image, which is published by the University of Minnesota Press.
The training of moving image archivists is central to AMIA's role as a professional organization and essential to the long-term survival of our moving image heritage. To this end, in addition to workshops and symposia, AMIA offers five annual scholarships to the value of $4,000, towards the tuition fees of students in education and training programs geared to the profession..
AMIA organises a number of special screenings and events, notably 'The Reel Thing', a symposium in which scientists, lab technicians and moving image archivists demonstrate and discuss new developments in the technology of moving image preservation. This takes place annually at the conference, but Reel Thing events have also been held elsewhere, including at the Amsterdam Biennale (film festival) in April 2007 and in Los Angeles in July 2008 and August 2009.
As an international organization, AMIA also offers this fellowship to encourage professional exchange and enhance professional development to professional archivists from the developing world.
AMIA provides workshops covering a range of archival activities. Workshops are offered primarily in conjunction with the annual conference, but AMIA also offers regional workshops when possible. Recent workshops have included: Digital 101, Cataloging & Metadata, Kodak Imaging Technology and Workflow Options; Safeguarding Your Audio Visual Assets; Archival Film Presentation for Projectionists and Access Copy Production for Archivists.
AMIA is affiliated with, and undertakes joint activities with, a number of organizations and projects worldwide. Examples include the Joint Technical Symposium, a conference organized in conjunction with the Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Association, which focuses specifically on the technologies of archival moving image preservation and access; and plans for a joint annual conference with the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives in 2010.
On October 27 each year AMIA members participate in and promote The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. In 2006 at its 33rd session the General Conference of UNESCO declared 27 October as World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. It is a unique occasion to raise awareness of the importance of sounds and images as a source of history of the last 150 years and of the importance of preserving them and making them accessible to whoever is interested in their content.
AMIA operates a program of awards, conferred annually at the conference.