Resource List for Documentation, Digitization,
Description and Management of Collections

Cultural Documentation Methods and Techniques Cultural Documentation Training for Indigenous Communities Cultural Documentation Guidelines

The following list guides you to selected resources on a number of topics related to the documentary process, in particular standards and principles related to the archival management and long-term preservation of recorded collections. We anticipate that the list will continue to develop and expand as subject and technical specialists in a number of fields bring their expertise to bear on these complex and inter-related issues.
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Guides for Conducting Oral History Projects:

Baylor University Institute for Oral History:
 Introduction to Oral History [PDF/271KB]

Indiana University Center for the Study of History and Memory:
 Oral History Techniques

Moyer, Judith. Step-by-Step Guide to Oral History

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Southern Oral History Program:
http://www.sohp.org/content/resources_outreach/

Describing, Managing and Providing Access to Archival Collections:

Library of Congress Authorities & Vocabularies 

Library of Congress Metadata Encoding and Transmissions Standards

Plateau Peoples' Web Portal (a collaborative effort between Washington State University and several Native American nations)

Society of American Archivists, 2007. Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Ordering information: http://www.archivists.org/governance/standards/dacs.asp

Tools for the Archival Preservation of Digital Objects:

Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative -a collaborative effort by several US government agencies to define common technical guidelines, methods, and practices to digitize historical content in a sustainable manner. The range of materials includes books, manuscripts, maps, photographic prints and negatives, and sound, video, and motion picture film recordings.

Sound Directions: Best Practices for Audio Preservation - a joint project of Indiana University and Harvard University focusing on key concepts and technical practices in preserving recorded sound collections

EVIA (Educational Video for Instruction and Analysis) Digital Archive, Indiana University

Technical Documents on Archiving and Preserving Digital Recordings:

Bradley, Kevin.  Risks Associated with the Use of Recordable CDs and DVDs as Reliable Storage Media in Archival Collections - Strategies and Alternatives (UNESCO, 2006) [PDF/196KB]

International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives, 2009.
Guidelines on the Production and Preservation of Digital Audio Objects (TC04 Second Edition). 
Order form: http://www.iasa-web.org/publications-order-form