IASA-BAAC 2026 Conference

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11:00am EEST

Preservation of Archives and Library Materials During Civil Wars in Africa: Case of Democratic Republic of Congo and Mali

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:00am - 11:30am EEST

Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Archives and library manuscripts are expected to be safeguarded during periods of armed conflict. While a substantial body of literature has examined the destruction and loss of archival and library materials in conflicts such as the Ukraine–Russia war (Chorna, 2023) and in the Middle East (Moustafa, 2016), other studies, including those by Um (2020) and Luft (2020), have focused on the reconstruction of archives during and after the Holocaust. However, existing research on the destruction and recovery of library and archival manuscripts has largely concentrated on the Global North. In contrast, there is limited empirical research addressing this issue within the African context, with few exceptions such as Jethro and Karina (2024), who examined the case of the University of Cape Town. Furthermore, scholars such as Isola (2013) and Keese and Urbano (2023) highlight the lack of international media attention on the looting and destruction of archives and libraries in Africa, particularly in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mali. Consequently, the preservation of libraries and archives remains an underexplored yet potentially transformative area for understanding the extent and impact of archival losses in Africa. This presentation intends to assess the preservation of archives both Democratic Republic of Congo and Mali.
Ist author - Dr Adv. Mphalane Makhura and 2nd author Dr Nkholedzeni Sidney Netshakhuma

Speakers

Dr Adv. Mphalane Makhura

Netshakhuma Nkholedzeni Sidney

Senior Lecturer Information Studies, University of Zululand

Dr Netshakhuma Nkholedzeni Sdiney completed PhD Information Studies at the University of South Africa specialising in Archives and Records Management. He is currently a Senior Lecturer Information Studies. He published extensively in Information, archives and records management... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:00am - 11:30am EEST
Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Short Presentation, Online

global Y
Zoom password 289030

1:30pm EEST

Context Lost, Trust Broken: Safeguarding Provenance in an Age of Audiovisual Misuse

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:30pm - 2:00pm EEST

Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Authentic photographs, sound recordings, and moving images are increasingly being detached from their original context and re‑released into the public sphere without explanation - or with deliberately false narratives. When this happens, even genuine archival materials can become instruments of manipulation, shaping public opinion or fueling social tension. This emerging challenge places new pressures on audiovisual archives, which must now respond not only as custodians of cultural memory but also as defenders of evidential integrity.

This panel proposes to examine how institutions can strengthen their capacity to validate provenance, preserve contextual information, and communicate authenticity in an era where audiovisual content can be easily appropriated, reframed, and weaponized.

Speakers

Viktorija Gardoviča

Archive expert, Latvian National Archives Latvian State Archive of Audiovisual documents

Archive expert at the Latvian State Archive of Audiovisual Documents, where she works in the Access and Inquiry Department, specializing in database monitoring, metadata creation, and maintaining classification systems. Victorija holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in library... Read More →

Natālija Lāce

Archive expert, Latvian National Archives Latvian State Archive of Audiovisual documents

Expert at the Latvian State Archive of Audiovisual Documents, specializing in the description of audiovisual collections. Natālija has played an important role in developing strategies for integrating AI tools into archival processes. Her responsibilities include compiling archive... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:30pm - 2:00pm EEST
Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Short Presentation, In Person

global Y
Zoom password 289030

2:00pm EEST

Decentering Archival Authority: Informal Networks, Post-Custodial Practice, and the IASA Ambassador Framework

Thursday October 22, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EEST

Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Contemporary archival discourse increasingly emphasizes the need to move beyond custodial paradigms toward more distributed, relational, and participatory models of stewardship. Within the field of sound and audiovisual heritage, this shift is particularly urgent, as preservation and access are shaped by global asymmetries in resources, infrastructure, and institutional authority. Mobilizing meaningful collaboration across such disparities remains a central challenge, especially where the outcomes of collective action are long-term and not immediately tangible. Within the framework of the IASA, emerging initiatives such as the Ambassador Committee, offer a productive forum for rethinking archival engagement through a post-custodial and decolonial lens.

Participants on the panel will critically examine structural and contextual barriers—including funding inequities, technological divides, and institutional silos—while also interrogating how such constraints intersect with questions of power, representation, and epistemic authority. Conceived as an open and dialogic forum, the panel invites participants to contribute to the co-development of strategies that strengthen informal networks of mutual support and exchange with a participatory platform for shaping the future direction of the Committee. We encourage attendees to actively engage in defining its forthcoming goals, priorities, and activities. This panel also serves as an entry point for broader engagement.

Speakers

Audra V. Adomenas

President, Lithuanian Archives Project

Audra Adomenas is an archivist and nonprofit leader based in Chicago. She is the founder and president of the Lithuanian Archives Project (LAP), established in 2009 and incorporated in 2012 as a not-for-profit organization in the State of Illinois, USA, dedicated to preserving, digitizing... Read More →

Patrick J Midtlyng

President; Head of Recorded Sound Processing Unit Motion Picture, Broadcasting & Recorded Sound Division, IASA; Library of Congress

Patrick Midtlyng is the Head of the Recorded Sound Section at the Library of Congress’s National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, VA. He is responsible for the management and direction of the Recorded Sound Section and oversees all aspects of the National Collection... Read More →

Judith Opoku-Boateng

Director, J. H. Kwabena Nketia Archives of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana

Judith Opoku-Boateng is University Archivist at the University of Ghana, where she leads the development and coordination of the University’s archival systems. With over two decades of experience in audiovisual heritage preservation, she has led major initiatives in audiovisual... Read More →

Perla Olivia Rodriguez Reséndiz

Professor, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Investigadora del Instituto de Investigaciones Bibliotecológicas y de la Información de la UNAM.
Cuenta con estancias de formación en la Radiotelevisión Italiana (RAI) y la Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, España. Desde hace quince años es docente de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Ha diseñado y producido series radiofónicas, televisivas y multimedia con fin... Read More →

Dr. Marija Dumnić Vilotijević

Senior Research Associate, Institute of Musicology SASA

Marija Dumnić Vilotijević holds MA and PhD in ethnomusicology from Faculty of Music of the University of Arts in Belgrade. She is Senior Research Associate at Institute of Musicology of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. She specialized in similar institutions of Austrian and... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EEST
Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Long Presentation, Hybrid

Zoom password 289030

3:30pm EEST

Safeguarding the Audiovisual Heritage: Resilience, Identity, and Risk Management Approach to Preservation in Eastern and Southern African Audiovisual Archives

Thursday October 22, 2026 3:30pm - 4:00pm EEST

Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Preservation of audiovisual records is not merely a technical task, but a radical act of protecting African identity, memory, and historical fats during times of peace and conflict alike. This paper examines strategies for safeguarding audiovisual collections by aligning Eastern and Southern Africa regional preservation efforts with the focus on crisis preparedness and resilience. It specifically investigates the role of preservation practitioners and archivists in protecting "threatened collections” before, during, and after war or conflict" focusing on the ‘at risk’ heritage within Eastern and Southern African archival institutions. Using a quantitative research approach with a 62% response rate, the findings highlighted poor governance, absence of preservation planning, poor staff development, and that inadequate preservation frameworks have been made concrete by the socio-political volatility of regions prone to civil unrest, climate-induced crises, and environmental disaster. These risks demonstrate with clarity that the "piecemeal approach" critiqued in this paper is not merely a technical deficiency but a form of institutional vulnerability that renders irreplaceable audiovisual memory defenseless when crises strike. Through empirical results, a framework that integrates governance, preservation strategies, preservation planning, staff development, and the use of artificial intelligence tools with modern risk-management protocols was proposed. This will contribute to archival theory. The practical implication of this study is the enhanced regional cooperation within archival institutions of the Eastern and Southern Africa, and an example of a good archival practice for other institutions of other regions too.

Speakers

BN Ncala - ‘Nthabiseng’

Lecturer at the University of South Africa in the Department of Information Science, in Gauteng, South Africa, University of South Africa, College of Human Sciences

Dr Ncala known as Nthabiseng, is a lecturer in Information Science at the Universityof South Africa (Unisa) since 2015. She holds a PhD in Information Science. Herresearch focused on the preservation management of audiovisual records atESARBICA. She earned her master’s in information... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 3:30pm - 4:00pm EEST
Statehood hall: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Short Presentation, In Person