Keynote presentation at the 2023 Spring Conference of the German association for media documentation. About giving external parties access to the completeness of broadcasting archives (metadata and/or essence): whether we should want this and how we could approach this with respect for legal and ethical aspects.

1. As open as possible, but not more open than that
Opening up and shielding public media archives in the 'all access’ era
Brecht Declercq – Radiotelevisione Svizzera Italiana & FIAT/IFTA
Verein für Mediendokumentation, Frühjahrstagung 2023 – Bayerische Rundfunk Franken, Nürnberg – 17.04.2023
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2. WHATWILL WE
BETALKING
ABOUT?
[ Nah ja, worüber wird’s denn gehen? ]

3. • The changes in access to (public) broadcast archives
• Is full access something we’d have to wish for?
• How can we make it happen?
• No keynote without a paradigm shift!

4. IMPORTANT REMARK:
• search, view, listen, analyze
• not about a curated offer or re-use of essence
• by externals

5. WHAT’S
GOING ON?
HOW DID WE
GETHERE?
[ Ist etwas passiert? ]

6. • Not set up for this purpose
• Limited access often possible
• Interest was so great that access was gradually
facilitated and enlarged.
History of accessibility of broadcast
archives

7. PSI 2003 / 98 / EG

8. • Digitisation of the collections
• Changing views on access to information
• Expanded functionality of digital infrastructure
• Expectation of a Return on Society
Reasons for this change

9. IS
ACCESSIBILITY
ALWAYS
A GOODTHING?
[ Unbedingt? Echt unbedingt? ]

10. • Privacy - e.g. of children
• Confidentiality of journalistic sources
• Cultural, social or religious reasons
• Commercial interests of others : copyright
• Commercial interests of the broadcaster itself
Good reasons not to fully open up a
broadcast archive

11. • A lot is still inaccessible, while we have no valid objection to
making it accessible.
• Opening up broadcasting archives completely, everything and for
everyone, would be a bad idea.
• Since there are good reasons not to do it, should we just put the
question of openness aside?
Between impossible access and
unnecessary shielding

12. OKBUT…
HOW CAN
WE DOTHAT?
[Ja klar, aber wie machen wir’s denn? ]

13. «As open as possible, but not more open than that»

14. • Who are you?
• Your age (beyond adult / minor!)
• Your profession
Criteria on the user’s side

15. • Where are you?
• Inside the broadcasting
building
• Within a memory institution
or research institution
• In a school
• Within the country itself
• Abroad
Criteria on the user’s side

16. Criteria on the content’s side
EVERYTHING PARTIALLY NOTHING
METADATA
▪ Processed vs.
unprocessed
▪ Published vs.
unpublished
▪ Copyright
restrictions
▪ Privacy sensitive
ESSENCE

17. Mapping the two together
PROFESSION PLACE OF CONSULTATION
LEVEL OF
ACCESS -
METADATA
LEVEL OF
ACCESS -
ESSENCE
Inside the broadcasting building
Within a memory institution or research institution
In a school
Within the country itself
Abroad
Inside the broadcasting building
Within a memory institution or research institution
In a school
Within the country itself
Abroad
Inside the broadcasting building
Within a memory institution or research institution
In a school
Within the country itself
Abroad
General audience
Professional media producer
Scientific researcher

18. WHATDO WE
NEEDTO GET
THINGS DONE?
[ Brauchst was? ]

19. • About copyrights
• About privacy-related rights
• On potentially delicate topics (age related)
• Adapted language in the descriptive metadata
(designated community shift)
On the archive’s side: good metadata

20. • Authentication apps,
• Teacher’s number,
• Staff login of the broadcaster,
• Membership number of a professional media association,
• …
On the user’s side: good authentication

21. • an access publication platform,
• connected to the MAM on the one hand, and an API with
authentication functionality on the other
• if desired, your own archive website (advantage: intelligence!)
Technical infrastructure
access
publication
platform
MAM API
WEB-
SITE

23. ANY
TAKEAWAY
POINTS ?
[ Was sage ich denn die Kollegen,
was herr Declercq gesagt hat? ]

24. • We aren’t going from “closed” to “open”.
• Paradigm shift: from “closed unless” to “open unless”.
• We maximise the access, but avoiding to violate rights and
professional / ethical principles
• As open as possible, but not more open than that.
• The model I propose offers the opportunity to do so.

25. Thx!
[ Hat nog jemand ‘ne Frage?
Sonst lass uns Pause machen! ]
brecht.declercq@rsi.ch
president@fiatifta.org