AMIA 2024

In this session, TAMI seeks to provide archivists with insight into how to implement a lab build-out at a fraction of the cost. In 2023, the organization was able to complete a digitization lab build-out for $4,700 by using tactics such as crowdsourcing donations through a successful "Equipment Round-Up" campaign on social media, purchasing consumer-grade equipment, and gleaning second-hand sales. In the spirit of knowledge-sharing, our presentation offers a down-to-earth approach that will reveal "imperfections" in our workflow and destigmatize affordable solutions to solve costly problems. We'll also cover the merits of an apprenticeship model, which has become integral to the lab's daily operations. By de-centering the emphasis on advanced degrees to work in the moving image archiving field, we have increased our capacity while simultaneously breaking down barriers to entering this elusive field by encouraging those with no formal archival training or degrees to join Team TAMI.