Basic preservation

This page summarises the basic archive preservation that applies to multi-year subsidised organisations within the Arts Decree. It is both a yardstick for the arts organisations themselves, and a guide for government monitoring. For every guideline belonging to the basic preservation on TRACKS, the expected results and verifiable indicators are mentioned here.

Every organisation relates to the basic preservation guidelines using the 'comply or explain' principle. This means that, for every guideline, an organisation can choose to follow it or provide a very good reason as to why not. Arts organisations have the entire subsidy period within which to put these guidelines into practice and can therefore work in stages. Not every guideline needs to be allotted a place and implemented in the organisational plans right from the beginning. However, by the end of the subsidy period at least one action must be initiated for every guideline or an explanation given as to why this has not been done.

Within the basic preservation we make a distinction between guidelines that only apply to archive and collections developed during the subsidy period in question (A: active) and those that also apply to the past (R: retroactive). Every guideline contains a link that leads you to more information and context, as well as specific tools that you can use in the context of a guideline.

The basic preservation guidelines are intended to offer a verifiable framework for the arts organisation with a minimum of administration in order to enable internal (and where necessary external) re-use of the archive and the collections that an arts organisation creates in the course of its activities. Further questions and suggestions are always welcome via the contact form.

1. Vision and policy

Kort samengevat:

• Wat wil je wil doen met je archief?
• Hoe ga je dat doen?
• Wie gaat dat doen?

Hoe begin je eraan? Zie Algemene introtekst

1.1. Create a vision around the archive and/or collection(s)(R+A)

• You have developed your own vision of your archive and/or collection. This forms the basis for further objectives and actions which at the very least are related to the good, ordered and accessible state of your archive and/or collection. For multi-year subsidised organisations within the Arts Decree, this means that they relate to the basic preservation as formulated on TRACKS.

Indicatoren

• In het jaarverslag formuleer je een haalbare visie omtrent de zorg voor je archief en collectie(s).
• De visie omschrijft hoe je het behoud, het beheer en (intern/extern) gebruik van je analoge en digitale archief en collectie(s) ziet en welke diensten je hierrond wil organiseren. Voor meerjarig gesubsidieerde organisaties binnen het Kunstendecreet betekent dit dat ze zich verhouden tot de basiszorg zoals geformuleerd op TRACKS.

1.2. Leg doelen en acties omtrent archief- en collectiezorg schriftelijk vast (R+A)

Verwachte resultaten

• Uit de vastgelegde visie m.b.t. archief- en collectiezorg vloeien haalbare doelen en acties voort;
• Doelen en acties voor zowel korte als lange termijn werden opgenomen in beleidsplannen (kunstenorganisaties) en worden toegelicht in jaarverslagen;
• Tijd, geschikt personeel en middelen worden vrijgemaakt om doelen en acties te realiseren;
• Er wordt een planning gemaakt m.b.t. archief- en collectiezorg. Dit resulteert in afspraken met medewerkers en betrokkenen (individuele kunstenaars).

Indicatoren

• In jaarverslagen wordt gerapporteerd over de doelen en acties die voortvloeien uit de visie zoals opgenomen in beleidsdocumenten.
• De rapportering in jaarverslagen over de uitgevoerde acties omvat de tijdsinzet van personeel, vrijwilligers, stagiairs,...
• De gemaakte kosten (personeel, aankoop geschikt verpakkingsmateriaal, inrichting archiefruimte, digitalisering, opslag,...) zijn opgenomen in het financiële luik van het jaarverslag.
• Vanaf het eerste jaar van de subsidieperiode wordt in het jaarverslag over minstens één actie m.b.t. archief- en collectiezorg gerapporteerd. Minimaal wordt gedurende dat eerste jaar een visie ontwikkeld. Doorheen de subsidieperiode worden acties geactualiseerd in functie van deze visie en doelen.

1.3. Make agreements and determine who is responsible for what in archive and/or collection preservation

Anticipated results:

• There is at least one person within the arts organisation who is responsible for the archive and/or collection. He/she has the time and resources necessary to implement objectives and actions. When he/she is absent or leaves, another person can take over his/her responsibilities.
• The agreements are laid down in writing. That way, all colleagues know what and where the organisation's archive and/or collection are and they are aware of the agreements made and the policy that has been established.
• The established agreements and responsibilities result from a vision on archive and/or collection preservation (see ).

Indicators:

• The job description of the staff responsible for archive and collection preservation contains a description of their tasks and associated responsibilities. The personnel policy also ensures that these staff, where necessary, can improve their skills in this area.
• Written agreements about the extent to which you as an organisation are responsible for the preservation of the archive and collection(s) of the various artists to whom you offer support (commercial, production, distribution etc.)
• Written agreements with external parties who play a role in preserving your archive and collections or the archives of artists that you as an organisation support.
• A document that is accessible to all staff in which the actions regarding archive and collection preservation are recorded so that jobs can be taken over/continued by other staff when necessary.

2. Overview

Kort samengevat:

• Weet je waar al je archief en informatie zich bevindt?
• Denk bv. aan: een depot, kasten, Google Drive, een server, externe harde schijven, een andere organisatie, bij medewerkers thuis, een archiefinstelling,…
• Wanneer je dat kort noteert, heb je een overzichtsdocument.

Survey your archive and/or collection (R+A)

Hoe begin je eraan? Zie de tool Breng je archief en collectie(s) in kaart.

Anticipated results:

• You have an overview of the various parts of the archive and/or collection, their location and their scope. Information about their condition and how they are arranged can also be included in the overview.

Indicators

• A document that is accessible to the various staff and contains basic information about various defined parts of the archive and collection(s). The tool inventorise your archive and collection(s) can be a useful guide here.

3. Classification and description

Kort samengevat:

• Op welke manier klasseer je je documenten (papier en digitaal), foto's, audiovisueel materiaal,...?
• Zijn er afspraken gemaakt over de manier van klasseren?
• Werd ergens neergeschreven op welke manier alles wordt geordend en is dat lijstje/document gemakkelijk te vinden voor de mensen in de organisatie die dit nodig hebben?

Optimise your classification (A)

Hoe begin je eraan? Zie de tool Maak een ordeningsplan/mappenstructuur en zorg voor een goede naamgeving.

Anticipated results:

• The classification used is documented and systematically and consistently applied.
• Documents and objects can be found and consulted with ease by the employees of the organisation.

Indicators:

• There is a document in which the classification of the analogue and digital archive is documented. This document is accessible to all staff.
• The digital and analogue archive is classified in accordance with agreements established about classification.

4. (Re)use and rights

• Is het voor de betrokken medewerkers duidelijk hoe het zit met de auteursrechten, portretrechten, naburige rechten, … van alle foto's, beeld- en geluidsmateriaal, bladmuziek, teksten, … in je archief?
• Dit is in eerste instantie van belang voor de zaken die gepubliceerd worden (website, brochures, affiches, …) en gebruikt worden tijdens optredens/ voorstellingen.

Hoe begin je eraan? Zie algemene introtekst

Know what rights are associated with documents and objects in your archive and/or collection (A)

Anticipated results:

• The various sorts of rights are known by the staff involved.
• Note down the right-holders and the rights associated with items in your archive and/or collection.

Indicators:

• A declaration in the annual report confirming that the staff concerned have examined the tool sorts of rights.
• One or more documents describing which rights rely on newly created documents and who has the rights.

5. Sustainable preservation

Kort samengevat:

• Worden je papieren documenten (denk ook aan affiches, foto's, brochures, …) en je analoog audiovisueel materiaal bewaard op een plek die droog is, vrij van ongedierte, veilig voor brand- en waterschade en afgeschermd tegen direct zonlicht? Wordt dit af en toe ook nagekeken?
• Worden er regelmatig backups genomen van je digitale bestanden? Op welke manier? Heb je er zicht op of je digitale bestanden nog leesbaar zijn?

Hoe begin je eraan? Zie de algemene introteksten Materieel bewaren en Digitaal bewaren.

5.1. Preserve your analogue and paper archive and/or collection well (A)

Anticipated results:

• Your archive and your collection will remain in good condition. This means that your archives and collections can be consulted in the short and long term, their integrity will be preserved and they will continue to be legible and usable.
• Wherever possible, efforts are made to minimise damage by taking account of the following factors:
  • Avoid physical damage through handling and storage
  • Fire safety
  • Avoid water damage
  • Theft and vandalism prevention
  • Protect from pests and mould
  • Minimise exposure to light
  • Protect from pollution
  • Control temperature and temperature fluctuations
  • Control humidity and humidity fluctuations

Indicators:

• The efforts undertaken, which are demonstrated in the event of a site visit by the Arts Division of the Flemish government's Department of Culture, Sport and Media in the context of the evaluation of the subsidy period.

5.2. Preserve your digital archive and/or collection well (A)

Anticipated results:

• Your digital archive and/or collection will be in good condition. This means that your archives and collections will remain physically intact, usable and able to be consulted, with no loss of essential functions or meaning.
• An error-free back-up is made at regular intervals, and is accompanied by a description of the method and frequency, while the recovery of the data has also been tested.
• As far as possible efforts are made to avoid foreseeable damage by taking into account the following factors:
  • Focus points concerning analogue archive and collections also apply to hardware and physical carriers
  • The following, among other things, applies specifically to data:
    • handling and preservation (e.g. the accidental deletion, moving or changing of files, computer crashes, data loss during data migrations etc.)
    • intentional harmful use of information technology by third parties (e.g. viruses, hacking etc.);
    • obsolescence of, for example, hardware, interfaces, operating programmes, software, carriers, file formats and codecs
    • loss of data as a result of inherent physical decline in the data carriers (so-called bitrot);
• loss of data as a result of successive migrations of digital files or systems, in particular generation loss of digital photo, video and audio material due to the use of lossy compression.

Indicators:

• There are error-free back-ups. There is a document outlining the back-up strategy.
• The efforts undertaken, as can be demonstrated in the event of a site visit by the Arts Division of the Flemish government's Department of Culture, Sport and Media in the context of the evaluation of the subsidy period.

6. Support

Kort samengevat:

• Stel dat je organisatie niet meer zelf voor haar archief kan/wil zorgen, weet je dan aan welke instelling je dit kan overdragen? Of wie je daar kan bij helpen?

Know where and how you can find a new storage place for your archive and/or collection (R+A)

Anticipated results:

• Possible and desired partners and collection-management institutions are known.

Indicators:

• A declaration in the annual report confirms that the staff concerned have read the tool Know how and when you can find a new storage place for your archive and collections.