Charter of Operations 2010-11

Introduction
Strategic objective – national leadership
Strategic objective – collections and knowledge
Strategic objective – inspiring experiences and learning
Strategic objective – connections and strategic relationships
Strategic objective – innovative people and a creative NFSA
Guiding principles statement
Relevant documents

Introduction

The primary responsibility of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) is to manage the national audiovisual collection, and to build, preserve, interpret and make accessible that collection, in accordance with the National Film and Sound Archive Act 2008 (NFSA Act) and the NFSA Collections Policy and Statement of Curatorial Values.

The NFSA plays a key role in the development of Australia’s audiovisual cultural heritage and places the highest priority on ensuring that all Australians are able to experience and enjoy the accessible treasures held in the collection, from the 19th century beginnings to the present. Of particular importance is a strong commitment to the principles and practices of collection stewardship to ensure the selective collection and responsible management, care, preservation and interpretation of audiovisual works to the highest curatorial standards.

Establishment of the NFSA as a Statutory Authority on 1 July 2008 reflects the NFSA’s national cultural and collecting role. The NFSA has responsibility for the national collection of over 1.6 million items, comprising film, video, audio recordings, associated documentation and artefacts, and new media material relevant to Australia’s history and culture.

The NFSA acknowledges its leadership role in film and sound culture and its broad cultural mandate as embodied in its legislation. This mandate is expressed through the principles and values which guide the NFSA in meeting the Government’s expectations – see Guiding Principles at Attachment 1.

These principles are underpinned by the Strategic Objectives outlined in the NFSA’s Corporate Plan 2010-11 to 2012-13:

National Leadership
Collections and Knowledge
Inspiring Experiences and Learning
Connections and Strategic Relationships
Innovative People and a Creative NFSA

The objective of this Charter is to identify the key priorities through which the NFSA will meet its commitment to its stakeholders and ultimately exceed the Government’s expectations. Of particular focus is:

making the collection accessible to the widest possible audience including through curated exhibitions, scholarly study, outreach programs and the launch of a new corporate web site and extensive online educational resources
further interpreting the collection and filling gaps to represent more fully the diversity of communities and cultures in Australia, including continuing to give particular emphasis to the Indigenous collection and proactive engagement with Indigenous communities
being a national and international leader, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, by providing assistance to regional archives with the management and conservation of their audiovisual collections.

Following is an outline of how the NFSA’s strategic objectives will meet Government requirements.

Strategic objective – National Leadership

1. The NFSA will provide national leadership within the broader collections sector by:

Sustaining national audiovisual collection consultation and cooperation through regular national/regional collection summit engagement.
Developing collecting works and materials which reflect the cultural diversity of Australia and being a socially inclusive organisation.
Conducting surveys to identify the preservation needs of Indigenous community based collections, in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and other Indigenous audiovisual collecting organisations as appropriate.
Representing the NFSA internationally through active contribution to the activities of the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives, International Federation of Film Archives, the Association of Moving Image Archivists and the Southeast Asia-Pacific Audiovisual Archive Association.
Continuing to build and promote the National Registry of Recorded Sound (Sounds of Australia).
Updating the National Registry of Audiovisual Collections, and making it available online.
Raising the profile of Arc as Australia’s premier archival screening venue through expanded screenings of local, national and world cinema, supported by public talks, fora and debates with influential film and cultural industry figures.
Demonstrating leadership in best practice for publishing curated representation of the collection and offering a platform for the national collections sector to publish their audiovisual works.
Developing a collection stewardship framework for audiovisual archiving.
Contributing to the development of international and Australian standards for the audiovisual archive sector.
Playing a key leadership role in the development of a Co-Operative Research Centre to enhance new research and development opportunities and outcomes specific to audiovisual conservation.
Presenting papers, workshops and training, including consultancy’s related to audiovisual preservation both in Australia and abroad.
Demonstrating worldwide excellence in the ability to maintain appropriate temperature and humidity in collection vaults.
Demonstrating best practice preservation of digital audiovisual archives.

2. The NFSA will work collaboratively with the other national collecting institutions

2.1. Exploring operational efficiencies through shared services by:

Developing a strategic approach to common repatriation, storage, preservation and digitisation issues through the Heads of Cultural Institutions (HOCI), where possible.
Implementing opportunities for cooperation through fora such as the Corporate Management Forum and its associated working groups.
Sharing knowledge on digital archive practices through the Managing Australian Government Digital Information Resources (MAGDIR) forum.
Identifying the best formats for sharing collection data with other national cultural institutions.

2.2. Jointly agreeing on the parameters of their collecting policies and avoiding duplication by:

Actively supporting regular negotiations and collaborations with partner collection institutions.
Continuing to develop and refine our collecting policies, including working through HOCI to develop a strategic approach to common collection acquisition issues and to avoid areas of potential overlap.
Supporting and promulgating the concept of the Distributed National Collection.
Developing and implementing strategies which promote conservation of the collection through the National Collections Preservation Committee.

2.3. Developing frameworks and strategies around common areas of collection management by:

Identifying innovative, achievable and sustainable business model options for dealing with digital collecting, preservation, storage and access challenges and imperatives and fostering collaboration with other cultural institutions.
Actively considering joint collection storage solutions wherever practical.
Jointly developing standards and frameworks on audiovisual preservation issues, including sharing information and expertise on specialised preservation skills training for staff.
Participating in the Copyright and Cultural Institutions group to develop cross-institutional standards and frameworks for managing copyright issues in collection materials.
Collaborating to ensure our collections are cross referenced wherever they are represented online and to make curriculum relevant material from our collections available as online resources.

Strategic objective – Collections and Knowledge

3. The NFSA will undertake activities which will develop stronger links with the broader creative sector and assist it to develop and grow by:

Regularly reviewing and updating the NFSA Collection Policy and Statement of Curatorial Values.
Implementing a revised approach to publication of the NFSA Journal.
Attracting outstanding researchers and film and sound practitioners to study and interpret the collection and to publish or exhibit the results of their research through the Scholars and Artists in Residence research fellowship program.
Offering an Internship Program for students in collaboration with tertiary institutions, both nationally and internationally.
Delivering audiovisual preservation training programs and materials in-house, externally and online with collaborative partners and accredited national and international training institutions.
Providing input to the NFSA/Charles Sturt University audiovisual archiving postgraduate course through key NFSA tutoring; staff as student participation; and revision of course text.
Contributing to Australian Research Council Linkage Grant Projects: A Case Study of Australian Regional and Rural Cinema Exhibition (with Griffith University); and Deepening Histories of Place – Exploring Indigenous Landscapes of National and International Significance (administered by the Australian National University).
Encouraging a greater understanding and awareness of Indigenous collections and their curatorial context in partnership with Indigenous communities.
Encouraging high profile speakers from the creative sector to engage with the NFSA and its work through the annual Longford Lyell Lecture (moving image) and the annual Thomas Rome Lecture (recorded sound).
Celebrating the achievements of individuals who have made significant contributions to the preservation of film and sound heritage through the NFSA Cochrane Smith Award for Sound Heritage and the NFSA Ken G Hall Award for Film Preservation.
Presenting an award in association with the Southeast Asia-Pacific Audio Visual Archives Association (SEAPAVAA) to recognise outstanding contributions to the cause of moving image preservation for people working in the SEAPAVAA region.
Redeveloping the NFSA’s Preservation Strategy and implement a curatorial prioritised three year Cross Media Preservation Plan.
Further developing the online Technical Glossary of Terms, Film Preservation handbook and specialist helpdesk advisory service, including media rich audiovisual demonstration materials.
Developing a research community online using rapid publishing tools to share knowledge and to support research by the creative sector.
Supporting and promoting input to the ‘Search The Collection’ online database through the ‘corrections’ contact facility.
Publishing research, articles, essays and curated representation of the collection to the widest possible audience via online platforms such as australianscreen online.
Managing the Commonwealth Heritage places we own or manage and the collection in accordance with EPBC requirements and to the highest professional standards.

Strategic objective – Inspiring Experiences and Learning

4. The NFSA will ensure widest possible access to the collection by:

Increasing engagement with Indigenous stakeholders, opening up access to Indigenous material and identifying and returning copies of culturally significant works.
Developing strands of cultural programs focused on special communities including the socially marginalised.
Developing programs to mark key centenaries, including Canberra in 2013 and Gallipoli in 2015.
Partnering with local, national and international film festivals and cultural institutions to showcase key titles from the collection.
Completing a restoration project plan to identify high profile restoration projects, and associated outreach and programming opportunities.
Exploring and implementing opportunities to make available online substantial digitised film and sound files, based on well developed digital rights and informed risk management, to significantly increase national and international access.
Applying the Rights Management Framework to increase access to the collection while respecting the copyright of creators and rights of other stakeholders.
Making data from the NFSA catalogue available through the National Library of Australia’s integrated discovery service “Trove”.
Ensuring the ongoing maintenance and upgrading of the exhibition spaces in Canberra, including scoping work for a major redevelopment of the theatrette in 2011-12.
Delivering a rolling program of small exhibitions for visitors with a focus on the potential for these exhibitions to travel beyond Canberra.
Commencing a scoping study to redevelop the remaining public spaces at NFSAA’s Headquarters in Canberra.
Encouraging new audiences through the delivery of public access programs including Big Screen, Black Screen, School Screen, australianscreen online, Arc cinema and the Screening Loans program.
Encouraging new audiences for the sound collection online and by touring Sounds of Australia via Cooee Cabaret to six regional centres through the National Cultural Institutions Touring and Outreach program.
Overhauling collection user information and simplifying access pathways, subject to curatorial standards, copyright and protocols, through an integrated online search tool.
Enabling community interaction online through social networking, blogs and online games with groups formed around shared interests.
Inspiring creative responses and interpretation to the collection through interactive features and games on australianscreen online.
Delivering curriculum relevant online education resources through australianscreen online and the Digital Learning websites.
Developing a digital learning strategy for integration of all NFSA online learning resources.

Strategic objective – Connections and Strategic Relationships

5. The NFSA will ensure widest possible access to the national collection by undertaking partnerships, including with other government agencies and cultural organisations by:

Collaborating with AIATSIS and the ANU to deliver a Symposium on applications of Information Technology in Indigenous Communities.
Collaborating with the ABC to release volume 2 of Sounds of Australia.
Partnering with the private sector, including with Deluxe Sydney and Kodak Australasia to restore a further five film works for inclusion in the lending collection.
Establishing the Non-Theatrical Lending Collection Advisory Group of external organisational stakeholders, to advise on the continued growth and development of the Non-Theatrical Lending Collection, and to promote the service through their networks.
Renewing and further developing australianscreen online partners to include sound with NAA, ABC, SBS, AIATSIS, Education Services Australia and The Le@rning Federation.
Providing enhanced access to the collection and collections of partner organisations through the Australian Mediatheque in Melbourne, jointly operated by NFSA and the Australian Centre for Moving Image.
Reinvigorating strategic relationships with the State Libraries to provide increased access to the collection through on-site access centres and other initiatives.
Working with members of the Screen Network Information Providers to provide increased access to the NFSA Library Collection and the research materials and collections held in other organisations.
Collaborating with radio networks: ABC, commercial and community to promote and disseminate NFSA recorded sound programs, national programs and the collection.
Collaborating with Screen Australia, State film funding agencies and sound recording organisations to ensure delivery of production works for inclusion in the collection.
Developing strategic relationships with State and Territory archives.
Developing NFSA products based on curated and contextualised collection materials to be made available to the public in association with commercial production and distribution partners.
Ensuring the smooth transition of the Screen Australia Library and sales divisions to the NFSA.
Collaborating with the ABC Innovation Division regarding online and education projects, and content sharing.
Working with institutions to facilitate use of the collection in their exhibitions.
Working across Australia to provide curatorial advice and NFSA screening loan services to a range of community groups and organisations, including film societies, educational institutions, regional and special interest groups.
Partnering with the Sydney Festival and Legs on the Wall (performance company) for a combined live theatric and film event that will profile the Corrick Collection.
Working proactively with external support groups and individuals such as the Friends of the Archive, the Archive Forum and the NFSA’s Curators Emeritus to integrate their work and support with the achievement of the NFSA’s objectives.

6. The NFSA will engage strategically and work collaboratively with Australian Government, State, Territory and local governments and Cultural Ministers Council on key initiatives by:

Working cooperatively with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Office for the Arts and other portfolio agencies on portfolio initiatives.
Contributing to, or leading initiatives that support, the strategic priorities of Government and Cultural Ministers Council.
Continuing to work cooperatively with the Minister and the Department, keeping them informed and responding to requests in a timely manner.
Actively participating in, and researching, opportunities to contribute to the Government’s reform agenda as determined by Ahead of the Game: Blueprint for the Reform of the Australian Government Administration.

Strategic objective – Innovative People and a Creative NFSA

7. The NFSA will attract, develop and retain people with the skills and capability to build a culture of innovation and excellence by:

Implementing fully the People and Culture Strategy to encourage robust discussions, actively manage performance, proactively address workplace capability requirements and identified skills gaps, and value, acknowledge, recognise and reward individual and team achievements.
Developing and implementing alternate learning and development strategies which direct learning and development initiatives to maximise the benefit of the knowledge transfer to the individual and the NFSA. Strategies include mentoring, coaching, job sharing, job rotation, and on the job skills transfer.
Developing and implementing an annual Staff Feedback Program (Survey) over three years to gain a valuable insight to our staff’s perceptions, attitudes, motivations and behaviours relating to a wide range of areas about their employment experience at the NFSA.
Evaluating the effectiveness of the linkages between individual performance and development plans and branch business plans in achieving corporate goals and outcomes.
Undertaking staff exchange programs with the British Library and George Eastman House to exchange professional expertise and to benefit the research and wider information communities.

8. The NFSA will comply with relevant governance and legislative requirements

Implementing fully the NFSA’s Corporate Plan 2010-11 – 2012-13.
Ensuring fiscally responsible financial management, budgeting and reporting throughout the organisation
Refining the business planning framework and calendar of organisational business planning.
Monitoring legislative compliance by the Audit Committee.
Monitoring and meeting obligations under the NFSA Heritage Strategy and the EPBC Act.

9. The NFSA will pursue opportunities to secure revenue from other sources.

Investigating additional external revenues by examining:
the use, role and functionality of public spaces and infrastructure including the exhibition space, cafe and shop
use of collection materials and preservation knowledge, expertise and infrastructure
specific sponsorship arrangements.
Pursue grant opportunities particularly those that enable the NFSA to further build its reach through online and outreach educational programming and content.

Guiding principles statement

The NFSA aspires to:

Be the world’s premier archive of Australian audiovisual and emerging media cultural heritage.

The NFSA mission is:

To excite people’s curiosity and inspire their creativity through collection development and preservation, and an informed understanding of Australian audiovisual and emerging media heritage, its cultural diversity and significance.

The NFSA values:

Stewardship – We will collect, care, preserve, manage and interpret the collection to the highest curatorial standards.
Professionalism – We will be a reliable source of authentic evidence of Australia’s audiovisual heritage.
Community – We will develop partnerships that extend the NFSA’s networks and complement its status as a national institution of international renown.
Leadership – We will share our expertise.
Diversity – We will embrace diversity in all its forms especially our Indigenous cultures.
Openness – We will provide access to the collection through events, programs, online and with staff.
Innovation – We will showcase expertise through innovative research, service provision, outreach and web based programmes.
Curiosity – We will create relevant and stimulating learning opportunities to inspire visitors and users.
Agility – We will be responsive, adaptable and flexible.

The NFSA expects that its people will:

Be committed to the NFSA and APS Values and Code of Conduct.
Strive for excellence and be recognised for their professionalism, integrity and innovation.
Behave openly, respectfully, honestly and fairly to others.
Embrace diversity in all its forms.
Work together as a team, respecting a balance of tradition and innovation.

The NFSA values its people through: