Developing and preserving our national collection is at the heart of what we do. We are driven by a curatorial model, relying on the expertise of our curators to interpret, analyse and apply their collection knowledge to collection development, programming and preservation priorities. We are also recognised internationally as a place of technical audiovisual preservation expertise, which underpins our ability to ensure that collection materials are preserved for future generations.
Outcome: The national audiovisual collection is developed and preserved to the highest curatorial standards.
Objective | Initiatives/strategies to achieve against outcome and objectives, 2017–18 to 2020–21 | Target 2017–18 | Result 2017–18 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Objective 3A Continue to develop a rich collection that represents the diversity of Australian culture |
3A.1 Implement NFSA Collection Policy 2016–20 | Collection Policy implemented | Achieved | |||
3A.2 Continue targeted collection development including analysis and deselection | 60,000 acquisitions made in the reporting period** | 72,944 | ||||
Objective 3B Manage the national audiovisual collection to recommended international standards to ensure its digitisation and ongoing accessibility |
3B.1 Preserve collection content through sustainable practices for storage and environmental conditions (passive preservation) | 230 years average collection lifespan* | 296 | |||
3B.2 Preserve the collection through active digitisation, format-shifting of content and data migration (active preservation) | 8000 titles preserved and made accessible* | 16,872 | ||||
10% of the preservation collection digitised* | 16% | |||||
3B.3 Accession the collection in line with best practice to ensure the integrity of our data | 100,000 items accessioned (in the reporting period)* | 134,931 | ||||
Objective 3C Establish partnerships with the creative sector to increase awareness of the value of our audiovisual heritage and connect established creators and their work with emerging creators |
3C.1 Further develop mutually beneficial, long-term industry relationships to ensure maximum exposure for the national audiovisual collection | Five national partnerships | Achieved | |||
3C.2 Expand funding body partnerships to ensure lodgment of all new funded Australian moving image and sound productions with the NFSA. High-level advocacy through industry forums to support this approach | Continued development of funding body partnerships | Achieved | ||||
3C.3 Expand current oral history and career interviews program with contemporary and influential film, broadcast and recorded sound identities | 60 oral histories collected | 66 | ||||
Criterion source: Corporate Plan 2017–18 to 2020–21 page 9 and PBS page 161 *PBS 2017–18 target |
Continue to develop a rich collection that represents the diversity of Australian culture
Target | Result |
---|---|
Collection Policy implemented | Achieved |
Criterion source: Corporate Plan 2017–18 to 2020–21 page 9 and PBS page 161 |
Our revised Collection Policy was successfully implemented in March 2017. It sets out the guiding principles for the development, preservation and sharing of our collection. The Collection Policy is available on our website and in hard copy.
Target | Result |
---|---|
60,000 acquisitions made in the reporting period** | 72,944 |
Criterion source: Corporate Plan 2017–18 to 2020–21 page 9 and PBS page 161 *PBS 2017–18 target ** PBS 2017–18 target and DoCA KPI |
The core of our activity is developing a national audiovisual collection to the highest curatorial standards. We hold 2.89 million collection items, including moving image, recorded sound and broadcast items, as well as associated documents and artefacts.
We receive material into the collection through the following means:
During 2017-18 we surpassed our overall acquisition target by acquiring 72,944 collection items.
A more detailed listing of our collection acquisition highlights for 2017-18 appears in appendix 3 but particular highlight include:
Acquisition type | Results |
---|---|
Feature-length films | 142 |
Short films | 446 |
Small-gauge films | 606 |
Documentaries | 518 |
Television works | 3303 |
Recorded sound works | 28,425 |
Radio works | 2206 |
Oral histories | 115 |
Documents and artefacts | 37,233 |
Total number of acquisitions | 72,994 |
ENGAGING WITH USERS OF DIGITAL COLLECTIONS
In October 2017, we held our third annual Digital Directions symposium. The sold-out event explored issues surrounding the digitisation of cultural collections and digital engagement.
Shaun Angeles Penangke, an Arrernte man from Ayampe and the Artwe-kenhe (Men’s) Collection Researcher at Museum of Central Australia incorporating The Strehlow Research Centre in Alice Springs, summed up the event’s focus on the user experience by saying, ‘I believe collections like this can change people’s lives’. We also showcased institutional innovators in user-centric research and design.
Our CEO Jan Müller gave the keynote address for the second consecutive year. In 2016 he represented the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, but in 2017 he was delivering his vision for the digital future of the NFSA.
Delegates included leaders and researchers from the Australian Network of Art and Technology, GovHack, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and Microsoft.
We delivered Digital Directions in partnership with the National Archives of Australia and the National Library of Australia and the event was live-streamed to maximise participation across the country.
Digital Directions returned in August 2018.
Manage the collection to recommended international standards to ensure its digitisation and ongoing accessibility
Target | Result |
---|---|
230 years average collection lifespan* | 296 |
Criterion source: Corporate Plan 2017–18 to 2020–21 page 9 and PBS page 161 *PBS 2017–18 target ** PBS 2017–18 target and DoCA KPI |
Drawing on international best practice, we set the environmental conditions (in terms of temperature and relative humidity) to meet the storage requirements for the long-term and sustainable preservation of our collection.
We apply the Time Weighted Preservation Index methodology developed by the Image Permanence Institute, Rochester University, USA, to provide a qualitative measure that estimates the collection lifespan in our storage facilities. The Time Weighted Preservation Index estimates the average collection lifespan using three elements: storage environmental conditions (temperature and relative humidity), carrier format and time. This provides a qualitative measure that estimates the collection lifespan in our storage facilities.
In 2017–18 we exceeded our target and achieved an average collection lifespan of 296 years, an increase of 28.7% over our target of 230 years.
In 2017–18 we completed three major collection relocation projects within our storage facilities:
Target | Result |
---|---|
8000 titles preserved and made accessible* | 16,872 |
10% of the preservation collection digitised* | 16% |
Criterion source: Corporate Plan 2017–18 to 2020–21 page 9 and PBS page 161 *PBS 2017–18 target |
In 2017–18 we faced the challenges of maintaining unsupported equipment and sourcing obsolete equipment for parts, but we also benefited from new opportunities.
Our in-house film-to-film laboratory operations came to an end in 2017. Maintaining the in-house service ceased to be viable, due to a combination of both ageing equipment and the need for us to focus our internal resources on digital workflows and outputs. We will outsource photochemical work as required, while addressing the infrastructure challenges of film digitisation and storage through a new content network solution. We will progressively increase digital storage over the next two years.
We have increased digitisation outputs by continually monitoring workflows, streamlining procedures and implementing software solutions where appropriate to assist with automating processes.
We are addressing the Deadline 2025 priority to digitise magnetic tape holdings by extending our use of approved external providers. The NFSA Digitisation Strategy 2018–2025 outlines the foundation of our approach to becoming the National Centre for Excellence in Audiovisual Heritage.
The entire NFSA collection comprises over 2.9 million items of which 52% is audiovisual material, including film, tape and sound formats. Of the audiovisual collections, over 400,000 items exist in either born-digital material or copies. It is this original analogue collection that represents the NFSA’s digitisation challenge.
Target | Result |
---|---|
100,000 items accessioned (in the reporting period)* | 134,931 |
Criterion source: Corporate Plan 2017–18 to 2020–21 page 9 and PBS page 161 *PBS 2017–18 target |
We have exceeded the annual target of 100,000 items accessioned this year by approximately 35%. Digital accessioning comprised 89.6% of all accessioning this year—up 13% on last year’s figures. This is because of further increases in digital material being acquired by us and continued improvement in our data management and ingest of this material. We continue to meet the challenges of accessioning analogue materials (both incoming acquisitions and prioritised backlog items) which require manual data collation.
Establish partnerships with the creative sector to increase awareness of the value of our audiovisual heritage and connect established creators and their work with emerging creators
Target | Result |
---|---|
Five national partnerships | Achieved |
NFSA Restores continues to increase the number of high-quality Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) of classic Australian film titles available for cinema exhibition. This has enabled continued successful arrangements with key film festivals in Australia to premiere important film restorations, such as Shame (Steve Jodrell, 1988) at the Melbourne International Film Festival 2017 and My Brilliant Career (Gillian Armstrong, 1979) at the Sydney Film Festival 2018.
In addition, NFSA Restores has facilitated new international connections through screenings including:
Target | Result |
---|---|
Continued development of funding body partnerships | Achieved |
We have existing agreements with all the major screen government funding bodies in Australia to ensure the lodgment of all new funded Australian screen productions with us. Funding bodies include Screen Australia, Film Victoria, the New South Wales Film and Television Office, Screen Queensland, ScreenWest and the South Australian Film Corporation. In 2017–18 we continued to review these agreements to ensure they provide flexibility in the current digital environment.
We were able to acquire contemporary commercial digital radio productions via the implementation of an Off-Air capture pilot program in which digital radio capture software was used to select programming for inclusion in the national collection. Participating radio networks were the Australian Radio Network, Southern Cross Austereo and Macquarie Media.
Target | Result |
---|---|
60 oral histories collected | 66 |
Our substantial collection of oral histories continues to grow in order to capture the personal histories and narratives of individuals who have been part of Australia’s audiovisual industry. These oral histories provide personal, first-hand recollections of careers in film, television, radio and recorded sound that may otherwise be completely lost to future generations.
Our oral history program continues to support the collection areas and our online sharing platforms. In 2017–18 we exceeded our target, acquiring 66 oral histories.
A detailed listing of 2017–18 oral history acquisitions can be found in appendix 3, but highlights include:
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.