During the ACE Meeting in Bologna on the 28th of June 2022, we joined one of the panels virtually to give an overview and insight into our research project and where we are at now. The entire day was dedicated to knowledge preservation, mainly about knowledge and skills connected to changing technologies, and about finding practical solutions. We are glad this topic is addressed and curious to hear about the outcomes of this day.

In the latest Journal of Film Preservation (November 2021), we contributed with a report on some of the findings of the research so far. The article describes three knowledge sharing examples from different audiovisual archives, in different types of situations. Throughout the interviews we are doing with archivists from around the world, it becomes more and more clear that every situation in which knowledge sharing becomes a necessity, needs its own approach. The methods for knowledge sharing need to be adjusted to the type of knowledge at stake and the people involved. The entire Journal of Film Preservation is accessible online. Our article “How-to: Sharing Knowledge Among Generations of Archivists” can be found on page 13 to 22.

This document presents our initial insights into the methods and challenges of knowledge sharing, the different types of knowledge that need to be shared and five main themes that emerged from the survey results.

Between April and May 2020, we distributed an online survey for the wider audiovisual archiving community. The intention of this survey was to get a global idea of the concerns and methods of knowledge sharing within audiovisual archives. The questions attempted to identify the existing knowledge sharing methods, concerns and challenges of knowledge transfer, and techniques of how to improve knowledge sharing within audiovisual archives. The final stage of this research project will be in 2022. In this stage, the survey’s data will be combined with qualitative research conducted in the field to write a conclusive report on the expert knowledge that needs to be transferred, the challenges related to passing on this knowledge, and the methods that archivists can use to share knowledge within their organizations.

Survey deadline is extended until the 22nd of May!

Dear colleagues!

As part of the project Share that Knowledge! we would like to get a global overview of the existing concerns and methods related to knowledge transfer within the field of audiovisual preservation. With this survey we want to gather data about how knowledge is shared within different types of institutions holding audiovisual collections. We are looking at the practices of knowledge sharing in institutions all around the world, so regardless of which type of archive you work in, if you are a manager or directly working with the audiovisual collections, for how long have you been working there and how much you think you know about knowledge sharing, please take 15-20 minutes to fill out the survey. The professional input from each individual will be relevant for this research.

We will be collecting data until the 10th of May. If you cannot fill it out in due time, please contact us via n.sicarov@filmmuseum.at, j.vandalen@filmmuseum.at and we will extend its availability. Please share the survey with your colleagues. Thank you!