IASA-BAAC 2026 Conference

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9:30am EEST

Building on the SADC Early Warning System for the Protection of Documentary Cultural Heritage in Africa’s Peace and War Contexts

Wednesday October 21, 2026 9:30am - 10:00am EEST

Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

In peacebuilding and conflict prevention setups, early warning systems are in place – but with little or nothing to do with the documentary heritage despite the latter existing in the same risk environment characterized by political instability and conflict escalation. With no structured systems to identify vulnerable archives before conflict escalates, damage becomes reactive rather than preventive – and often irreversible. Using the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Regional Early Warning System as a reference point, this paper explores how Africa’s documentary cultural heritage can be safeguarded across peace and war contexts through early warning systems. It argues that current mechanisms for conflict monitoring exclude vulnerable heritage assets such as archives and audio-visual records. Drawing on several examples in Africa or elsewhere, with insights from relevant international relations political theories, the study highlights risks posed by political instability and digital warfare. It proposes integrating documentary heritage indicators into the existing early warning frameworks, if not designing separate, enhanced and functional documentary heritage-centered early warning system(s), anticipatory and resilient - across Africa’s peace-war spectrum.

Speakers

SHADRECK BAYANE

Privacy & Records Consultant & Researcher, Independent Consultant & Researcher

Shadreck Bayane is a Botswana-based certified Records Analyst and certified Privacy professional pursuing a Masters degree in Politics & International Relations, with interdisciplinary research interests spanning data protection, risk management, AI & digitization, diplomacy, and... Read More →

Wednesday October 21, 2026 9:30am - 10:00am EEST
Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Short Presentation, In Person

Zoom link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86939636277
Zoom password 289030

10:00am EEST

Safeguarding Audiovisual Memory in Fragile Contexts: Challenges and Strategies from Burkina Faso

Wednesday October 21, 2026 10:00am - 10:30am EEST

Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

This presentation examines the challenges of safeguarding audiovisual archives in fragile and resource-constrained contexts, focusing on Burkina Faso. Audiovisual materials play a key role in preserving cultural identity, yet they face risks such as limited infrastructure, technological obsolescence, and lack of formal preservation systems.

Based on academic research and field observations, this presentation highlights how local actors develop adaptive strategies, including informal archiving practices and community-based preservation. It also emphasizes the importance of integrating risk preparedness and strengthening digital resilience.

By offering a West African perspective, this contribution aims to enrich global discussions on audiovisual preservation, resilience, and cultural sustainability.

Speakers

PARE Aboubacar Franck Hermann

Master’s Student in Cinema and Audiovisual Studies, Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

I am a Burkinabè audiovisual professional and a Master’s student in Cinema and Audiovisual Studies. My work is situated at the intersection of film, project management, and cultural development, with a particular focus on the role of audiovisual media in preserving cultural identity... Read More →

Wednesday October 21, 2026 10:00am - 10:30am EEST
Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Short Presentation, Online

global Y
Zoom link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86939636277
Zoom password 289030

10:30am EEST

A Case for Mandatory Deposit: Archiving the Mammoth Indian Film Industry

Wednesday October 21, 2026 10:30am - 11:00am EEST

Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

What if the only version of a national award-winning film in a state/regional archive is a wantonly censored YouTube copy? How will we protect the cinema of the world’s largest film producer, which contributes to over 26% of the global film production, as per the World Intellectual Property Organisation?

With access and storage of films mainly being controlled by private players, a mandatory film deposit policy becomes important to save information from the profit-driven rules of the market and the preferences of the cultural majority. Besides the fear of some films being neglected as not worth preserving, the chances of modifying content (there is news of muting parts of dialogues, editing scenes out, and colour grading films differently for streaming platforms and theatrical re-releases) are high, too. To combat this, the government must introduce a two-tier approach to archiving, with every film appearing for copyright/exhibition certification, submitting a copy to the national film archive and the respective regional archive. Though most Indian states (28 in total) and some union territories have their own film industry, not all of them have an archive. Lacking a well-oiled production-to-archives pipeline becomes even more worrying in times of crisis when market disruption alters the usual venues for access and storage. A collaboration between the film fraternity, state governments, and the national government, focusing on the principle of LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe), is essential. By keeping the onus of preserving films exclusively on for-profit private entities, India risks losing its film heritage.

Speakers

Gayathri Rajkumar

Archivist, Prasad Corporation

I'm a graduate of the L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation. I worked as a cataloguer with the National Film Archive of India and later as an assistant conservator at the Museum of Art and Photography, Bengaluru. I'm currently an archivist with Prasad Corporation.

Wednesday October 21, 2026 10:30am - 11:00am EEST
Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Short Presentation, Online

global Y
Zoom link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86939636277
Zoom password 289030

11:00am EEST

QC for Reformatted Audio Projects

Wednesday October 21, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm EEST

Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

In archival settings, outsourced reformatting projects create an unusual melding between the industrial processes of mass digitization and the uniqueness of archival assets. Mass digitization methods prioritize saving both effort and cost, but institutions often have little time for a systematic approach to quality control. In this talk, we suggest an approach to quality control for reformatted audio that focuses on developing workflows that work for your institution. We will introduce a variety of time-tested tools at our disposal, from developing quality plans to acceptance sampling techniques. We will then suggest other ambits where QC can be applied, and touch on later developments in QC from projects such as Six Sigma and Lean. Finally, we will look at efforts to standardize perceived audio quality in other fields such as broadcasting (PESQ, PEAQ).

Speakers

Marcos Sueiro Bal

Digital Collections Manager, Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College

Marcos Sueiro Bal is the Digital Collections Manager at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College in New York City, USA. Marcos is a member of the technical committees of the Association of Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) and IASA, and was part of the Collection Management... Read More →

Wednesday October 21, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm EEST
Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Long Presentation, Online - TBD

Zoom link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86939636277
Zoom password 289030

12:00pm EEST

Post-Disaster Catalogue: Photographic Plates of the National Museum in the Reconstruction of Audiovisual Memory

Wednesday October 21, 2026 12:00pm - 12:30pm EEST

Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

O incêndio no Museu Nacional do Brasil em 2018 causou a destruição quase total de seu acervo, incluindo cerca de 11 mil negativos de vidro. Essa perda representou não apenas um dano material extremo, mas também uma profunda ruptura na memória científica e audiovisual da mais antiga instituição científica do país.

Por meio dos procedimentos de conservação e restauração, foi possível garantir a recuperação e a salvaguarda deste acervo. O presente trabalho analisa o processo de elaboração do catálogo dessas peças não como um produto editorial ou museográfico, mas como um instrumento arquivístico para a reconstrução da memória institucional por meio da imagem.

O catálogo confirmou que as placas são reproduções diretas dos negativos de vidro perdidos, de modo que as imagens originalmente produzidas como material auxiliar passaram a funcionar como documentos primários de testemunho após a destruição dos negativos originais.

Inserido no debate internacional sobre arquivos em tempos de paz e crise, o estudo demonstra que, em contextos de destruição, a função do arquivo se desloca da preservação integral dos suportes para a reconstrução a partir dos fragmentos sobreviventes. A experiência do Museu Nacional oferece, assim, lições aplicáveis a arquivos audiovisuais localizados em contextos de vulnerabilidade, conflito ou risco cultural, destacando o papel estratégico da imagem na salvaguarda da identidade, da autenticidade e da memória coletiva.

Ao analisar o catálogo de placas fotográficas como uma prática arquivística de reconstrução pós-catástrofe, este trabalho contribui para as discussões do IASA-BAAC sobre restauração de acervos, resiliência institucional e preservação da autenticidade audiovisual em cenários de destruição.

Speakers

Ana Luiza Castro do Amaral

Head of the Central Laboratory for Conservation and Restoration, Museu Nacional / UFRJ

Master’s degree in Social Memory from the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO). Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Museology from the same institution. Currently serves as a Conservation Technician at the Museu Nacional of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro... Read More →

Jorge Dias da Silva Junior

Head of the Section of Memory and Archives, Museu Nacional / UFRJ

Jorge Dias da Silva Junior is an archivist and holds a Master’s degree in Records and Archives Management from the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. He is Head of the Section of Memory and Archives at the Museu Nacional/UFRJ, where he coordinates preservation, reconfiguration... Read More →

Wednesday October 21, 2026 12:00pm - 12:30pm EEST
Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Short Presentation, Online - TBD