AMIA 2024

This presentation is in support of the Spring 2025 release of The Future Of Memory, by Jimi Jones and Marek Jancovic, published by the University of Illinois Press. Drawing from interviews with archivists in North America and Europe, this book provides insight into the social processes and current difficulties involved in producing and implementing archival video standards. It is both an oral history of an important decade in audiovisual preservation, as well as a snapshot of a field undergoing a tremendous transition. This presentation will draw from the book’s content in order to explore the rarely theorized, intricate decision-making process that underlies standardized file formats. Presentation participants will gain insight into how archivists negotiate the promises of digital technology and balance preservation ideals with the financial realities at cash-strapped institutions.