The document discusses the meemoo initiative in Flanders to address the challenges of digitizing, preserving, and providing access to audiovisual archives. Meemoo takes a centralized approach where it coordinates the outsourcing of digitization to specialized service providers. It provides sustainable digital preservation and storage and makes the materials accessible through its online platforms. The initiative is a joint effort between content partners and service providers and follows a defined workflow from project planning to production. Meemoo aims to conduct this work professionally, efficiently, affordably and to high quality standards.

1. meemoo
FLEMISH INSTITUTE FOR ARCHIVES
A centrally coordinated
approach to audiovisual
digitisation, sustainable
storage and access
Brecht Declercq (meemoo)
Image & Research Conference
Girona - 17 November 2022
Photo: YLE Photo Archives

2. Why?

4. Photo: Brecht Declercq

5. Photo: Brecht Declercq

6. Photo: Brecht Declercq

7. Photo: Brecht Declercq

8. Photo: Gecko

9. “Brecht, I want to ask you please, if you know
where I can find a 2-inch tape player
in Latin America.
It is vital for our audiovisual archive to continue
with the process of historical digitization. I will
infinitely appreciate your help.”
A. Arratia, head of Archives, TVN, Chile, mail to BDQ, 2021
Photo: VRT archives still

10. Photo: Wikipedia

11. “How much time do we have?
10, 15 years.”
M. Casey, Media Preservation and Digitisation
Initiative Director, Indiana University
ARSC Conference, 2013

12. “So that’s it. Going, going, gone
for analog by 2023.”
R. Wright, former BBC Archives
PrestoCentre blog, 2013

13. it has to
be done
quickly

14. Photo: Wikipedia

15. 0,00
5,00
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FORMAT 1
FORMAT 2
FORMAT 3

16. it has to be
affordable

18. it has to
be done
qualitatively

21. it has to
be done
efficiently

23. meemoo is the Flemish answer to the
challenges related to
degralescence, digital preservation
and an increased demand for
access to our (audiovisual) heritage.

24. How?

25. the meemoo-deal
Professional,
efficient
digitisation
sustainable
digital
preservation
archiving
non-exclusive
licence to use
material of the
partners on
meemoo’s own
platforms
interaction

27. Coordinator of outsourced digitisation
CP
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CP
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CP
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CP
CP
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CP
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CP
CP
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SP
SP
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28. Joint effort

29. workflow

30. 1. PROJECT DEFINITION
2. PROJECT PLAN
4. REGISTRATION
3. TENDERING
5. DETAILING
6. TEST PHASE
7. PILOT PHASE
9. EVALUATION
8. PRODUCTION PHASE
typical project timeline

31. F
D
NL
B
Digitisation service providers
UK

32. Status of the digitisation / migration
79%; 542000 21%; 144000
0 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000 600000
1
Number of migratied audiovisual carriers
2013-2022 na 2022

34. IT-infrastructure: the easy story

35. IT-infrastructure: the somewhat more
complex story

36. Ingest workflow

38. A diversity of target groups

39. Hetarchief.be

40. Archives for Education

41. Catalogus Pro

42. Visitor tool

43. meemoo
encores!

44. January 2019
New meemoo
management contract:
Expansion to
photographic heritage?
June 2020
Research report 1:
Inventory of
photographic heritage
collections in Flanders
January 2021
Research report 2:
Preconditions and feasibility of
digitisation and archiving of Flemish
photo collections
August 2021
Digitisation project
for flemish glass plate
photo collections

45. • 170.000 photos on glass plates
• 31 content partners involved
• August 2021 – October 2023
Project financed by European Regional
Development funds (post-covid)
Foto: YLE Photo Archives
GIVE-glass plates
Photo: Brecht Declercq

46. Conclusion

48. and
counting!
(09.2022)

49. ▪ Economies of scale lead to low prices and specialization
▪ Specialization leads to quality
▪ Technical expertise rooted in international networks
▪ Content specific knowledge is and remains with the content partners
▪ Customer satisfaction
▪ The meemoo model is also perfectly applicable
▪ on other documents than audiovisual
▪ if you don’t mutualise all activities
▪ if done with fewer partners (although the effect decreases)
Ever returning keywords

50. ▪ Networked service organization
▪ Preservation, storage and access are active processes
▪ Encourage reuse to enhance digital competences
▪ Measurable operational excellence, transparency and sustainability
▪ Demand-driven and innovative at the same time
Core values

51. Happy to take your
questions

52. Brecht Declercq
Until 25-11-2022: brecht.declercq@meemoo.be
From 01-01-2023: brecht.declercq@rsi.ch
Or: president@fiatifta.org