International Federation of Television Archives

The Fédération Internationale des Archives de Télévision - International Federation of Television Archives (FIAT/IFTA) is a worldwide association of institutions, commercial companies and individuals managing or with a special interest in audiovisual archiving in general and television archives in particular. Many members are public and commercial broadcasters, but also national (audiovisual) archives are involved ever more. In general terms the association wants to connect the members, to spread knowledge in the field of television archiving and to defend their interests on an international level.

FIAT/IFTA was founded as an association under French law in 1976, when archives directors of mainly broadcasters but also national audiovisual archives felt the need to establish a separate organisation dedicated to television archives, as they weren't accepted as members of the International Federation of Film Archives. Most members knew each other via the European Broadcasting Union. The first conference of FIAT/IFTA was held in 1977 in Paris.

The goal of the federation is to create cooperation among television archives, multimedia and audiovisual archives and libraries. To meet these goals, FIAT/IFTA provides forums to share knowledge and experience. Some of FIAT/IFTA’s main objectives are to provide a forum for exchange of knowledge and experience between its members, to promote the study of any topic relevant to the development and use of audiovisual archives and to establish international standards on key issues regarding all aspects of audiovisual media archive management. FIAT/IFTA has over 250 members.^[1] The office is situated at the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision.

FIAT/IFTA Archive Achievement Awards

FIAT/IFTA Archive Achievement Awards is a series of three annual awards given for the best use of archival material, the best archive preservation project and the most innovative use of archival material. Several other categories have come up and disappeared over the course of the nineties and 2000s.

FIAT/IFTA Save Your Archive

Save Your Archive is a program designed to help saving endangered audiovisual collections. The ambition is to save the world audiovisual heritage, starting with a few collections. The Program does so by various means, including by providing financial support, training and/or technical assistance. The program speaks to FIAT/IFTA’s core mission – designing useful policies and tools to serve the archival community and developing cooperation among its members. The program works under the umbrella of the Archives at Risk campaign by CCAAA, the Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations. In the past projects in East-Timor, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Romania, Colombia, ... have received help from the programme.

FIAT/IFTA World Conference and other events

The FIAT/IFTA World Conference is held each year. The 2016 FIAT/IFTA World Conference was held in Warsaw, the 2017 edition will take place in Mexico City and will be hosted by the Canal 22, together with the Fonoteca Nacional. In the even years the World Conference also holds a General Assembly, during which the new president and a part of the Executive Council is elected. The Conference features keynotes speakers, panels discussions, workshops, masterclasses, case study presentations, social events, and networking opportunities.^[2]

Next to this, FIAT/IFTA organises regional seminars around the globe. The Media Management Commission also organises a biannual seminar called 'Media Management Seminar' since 1998.

Organization

FIAT/IFTA is chaired by a president (elected every 2 years with one possible re-election) and a general-secretary. The President, the General-Secretary, the Treasurer and the Commission Chairs are ex-officio members of the Executive Council. Next to these, the other Executive Council members are elected every 4 years, by groups of 6 alternating every 2 years. Next to the Executive Council, FIAT/IFTA has got 4 commissions, each with 6 à 12 members and a chair:

• Media Management Commission, previously called Documentation Commission
• Preservation & Migration Commission, previously called Technical Commission
• Programme & Production Commission
• Media Studies Commission, previously called Television Studies Commission

Up until at least 2005 also a Training Commission existed.

The past FIAT/IFTA presidents were:

See also

• UNESCO Memory of the World
• UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
• National Film Preservation Foundation
• Film preservation
• Optical media preservation

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: archives

• Association of Moving Image Archivists
• AMIA annual conference website
• Video Aids to Film Preservation