Mixed Media

The Cost of Inaction: A New Model for Physical Audiovisual Media Holdings

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Abstract

Many organizations hold physical audiovisual legacy media as assets in their collections. The day is fast approaching when it will be impossible or financially unfeasible to reproduce the content stored on these media—most experts agree on an estimate of 10 to 15 years, or 2024 to 2029. This is a universal conundrum that poses a serious threat to the future value derived from content stored on physical audiovisual legacy media. This conundrum is not specific to academic institutions. It manifests in organizations of all types and sizes, including government institutions, corporations, nonprofits, museums, media companies, and more. If collecting organizations do not act now to digitize their audiovisual collections—to at least save the option to make appraisal decisions in the future—these assets will be lost to degradation and obsolescence.

How to Cite:

Lacinak, C. & Lyons, B., (2014) “The Cost of Inaction: A New Model for Physical Audiovisual Media Holdings”, MAC Newsletter 42(2), 20-23.