Reference Publications

Audiovisual Archiving: Philosophy and Principles (2004)


In 2002 Ray Edmondson was commissioned to prepare a new and much enlarged revised edition of his 1998 monograph A Philosophy of Audiovisual Archiving. Written with the collaboration of an international reference panel of experts as well as the oversight of the CCAAA, the new edition was published by UNESCO on 1 May 2004. The amended title is more accurately descriptive of the expanded work. The publication date marks the 25th anniversary of UNESCO’s then ground-breaking Recommendation on the safeguarding and preservation of moving images, adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO and enshrining the fundamentals of moving image archiving.



The hard copy version of Audiovisual Archiving: Philosophy and Principles is available in three languages – English, French and Spanish. It can be requested from UNESCO headquarters in Paris by email to Mrs Joie Springer ( j.springer@unesco.org) – please state language preference! It is also downloadable as a pdf file from here.



UNESCO Memory of the World Program: General Guidelines to safeguard documentary heritage (2002)


This program is to the world of archives and libraries what the UNESCO World Heritage Convention is to the built and national heritage. Its long term aim is to improve the worldwide protection and accessibility of the documentary heritage of mankind. Its “shop window” is the series of national, regional and international registers listing the great documents of history.



With the collaboration of an international working group, Ray Edmondson prepared the current document – the central “rule book” of the program. The document can be accessed here.