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Using Archival Description to Foster Accountability
I first became interested in records documenting the Khmer Rouge period in Cambodia a decade ago, when I was working as the arts and culture web producer for the Asia Society Museum in New York. For the museum’s website, I interviewed the director of a troupe of classical Cambodians dancers who were touring the U.S.
WITNESS
October 14, 2010
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Archiving Practices Strengthen Human Rights Video Online
My name is Taz Morgan. I’m a new intern at the WITNESS Media Archive and was able to attend the two-day Open Video Conference last weekend. There were a few panels dedicated to the discussion of open video specifically in relation to archives, such as the session Yvonne wrote about a few days ago.
WITNESS
October 8, 2010
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What Does the Open Video Movement Mean For Archives?
At the WITNESS Media Archive, we collect, document, preserve, and provide access to human rights videos. Each component in this archiving endeavor contributes to the creation of reliable and authentic records in support of advocacy, prosecution of justice, truthtelling, and historical understanding.
Yvonne Ng
October 6, 2010
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Archives for Change: Activist Archives, Archival Activism
In recognition of Archives Month (October) and UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (October 27), Archiving Human Rights will explore the theme of activism, in its myriad word forms and meanings, as it relates to archives and archivists.
WITNESS
September 29, 2010
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Human Rights Archives: Report from SAA, Part 1
Last week, I attended the annual conference of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) in Washington, DC. There were a number of sessions relevant to human rights archives and archivists this year, most notably the inaugural meeting of the new Human Rights Archives Roundtable, and the panel it organized with the Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Heritage Archives Roundtable, entitled "Silence No More! Archives Threatened by Political Instability."
Yvonne Ng
August 19, 2010
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Inside the Media Archive: Metadata
In the WITNESS Media Archive, we rely on a lot of open-source and openly documented (i.e. with published specs) resources to manage our collection of human rights videos created by our partners all over the world.
Yvonne Ng
July 21, 2010
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Forensic Anthropology, Video, and Archives
In mid-April, an episode of NPR program "Speaking of Faith," featuring a representative of the Argentine forensic anthropology team (EAAF) aired. The guest spoke about how recovering the remains of victims of repressive regimes leads to healing, the re-writing of history, and the prosecution of justice.
WITNESS
June 4, 2010
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Thoughts on archives “fitting in”, and processing the Rainlake donation.
I have had the pleasure of interning in the WITNESS Media Archive for the past semester. I chose this internship because I hoped to put my Masters in Human Rights Studies and my Masters in Library Science to work in the video archive.
WITNESS
June 3, 2010
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An Archivist’s Perspective on Access and Privacy
The New York Times reports that earlier this month, a US District Court granted a petition by Chevron to subpoena 600 hours of footage from Crude: The Real Price of Oil. The film, by director Joe Berlinger, documents a landmark lawsuit filed by 30,000 Ecuadorean Amazon residents against the oil company for allegedly contaminating the jungle and creating a “death zone” the size of Rhode Island.
Yvonne Ng
May 23, 2010
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Archiving Human Rights
Last year, 2009, WITNESS devoted a considerable amount of time to strategic planning from which emerged a new and re-conceived way of approaching what we do, which is, simply put, video advocacy.
WITNESS
May 11, 2010
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Highlights from the Orphan Film Symposium: Part 2
Following on my post Tuesday, here are more highlights from the Orphan Film Symposium I attended last week:
Yvonne Ng
April 15, 2010
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Highlights from the Orphan Film Symposium: Part 1
Last week I attended the 7th Orphan Film Symposium in New York City. “Orphans,” as it is known, is a biannual event that draws archivists, preservationists, scholars, collectors, and artists from around the world to watch and discuss non-commercial and/or neglected films.
Yvonne Ng
April 13, 2010
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New Tactics Dialogue follow-up
Earlier this month New Tactics in Human Rights hosted an online dialogue Documenting Human Rights Violations: Choosing the Right Approach featuring practitioners from a variety of fields. Although a bit hard to navigate, there's a wealth of interesting commentary. Here are a few highlights:
WITNESS
February 10, 2010
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New Tactics dialogue on human rights documentation
Documenting Violations: Choosing the Right Approach is an online dialogue being facilitated by New Tactics in Human Rights, beginning today and running through February 5, 2010.
WITNESS
January 27, 2010
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‘Archives Power’ virtual reading group
I've mentioned the book Archives Power: Memory, Accountability and Social Justice by Rand Jimerson on this blog on a few occasions but haven't had a chance to post about it at any length.
WITNESS
January 4, 2010
