A 12-week, 14-session, the Foundations for Practice series offers a structured introduction to audiovisual archiving. Designed for those responsible for collections that include AV materials, exploring new career paths, or new to the field, it is an accessible foundation in the core concepts, terminology, and workflows essential to AV preservation and access.

Structured as a synchronous, cohort-based learning experience aligned with AMIA’s Pathways Fellowship, class size is limited to support engagement, continuity, and connection among cohort members throughout the series.  More about the program and what to expect is here.

Through presentations, discussion, and shared conversation, cohort members will gain insight into the unique challenges and practical realities of caring for audiovisual materials across a range of formats, collections, and institutional environments.. Sessions are led by experienced practitioners working across a range of institutional and community-based contexts, offering both technical grounding and real-world perspective. The series also provides an opportunity to connect with colleagues across the field, begin building professional networks, and engage in conversation with others working in or exploring audiovisual preservation.

Ten curriculum sessions cover key areas of audiovisual archiving, including:

• Identifying AV formats and understanding risk factors
• Preservation of analog film, video, and audio materials
• Digital preservation fundamentals, including file structures and integrity
• AV-specific cataloging practices
• Collections management approaches for AV materials
• Related and supporting materials
• Ethical considerations in contemporary AV archiving
• Copyright and an introduction to fair use

After curriculum sessions are completed, participants have the option to attend four additional office hours sessions. These sessions, featuring practitioners from different areas of the field, are designed as informal opportunities for discussion and exchange. Past topics have included curation, publishing, community engagement, and archives management, among others.

Most sessions will be held on Fridays at 12:00 pm (Pacific) and run for 90 minutes, with three sessions scheduled the week of June 15th. Session dates and times are listed here. As a cohort-based program, regular attendance is expected to support the shared learning experience. Each session includes time for questions and discussion, encouraging engagement and connection among participants and instructors.

A Certificate of Completion is provided for participants who attend the full series. If a session is missed, it may be made up in coordination with the Curriculum Director.

The series is intended to offer a supportive entry point into the field and its evolving practices for those  beginning to explore audiovisual archiving or seeking to better care for AV materials within your collections.

Registration

Most sessions will be held on Fridays at 12:00 AM (Pacific) and run for 90 minutes, with three sessions scheduled the week of June 15th. Session dates and times are listed here.

As a synchronous, cohort-based program, regular attendance is expected to support the shared learning experience. Each session includes time for questions and discussion, encouraging engagement and connection among participants and instructors

Registration will include a short statement describing your experience as well as what you hope to gain from the series (max 200 words). Once registered you will be asked to provide a short bio and a headshot by June 1. This information will be used to help instructors in preparing for sessions and to introduce the cohort to each other.

Registration is for the full series is $350.