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Archive Associates - Welcome

Archive Associates Pty Ltd was established in May 2001 by the husband and wife team of Ray and Sue Edmondson, following Ray's retirement from the Australian Public Service and from his long-time position as Deputy Director of Australia's National Film and Sound Archive, in order to concentrate on growing demands for his services in the archival field internationally.

Archive Associates is, in Australian legal parlance, a "personal exertion" company - the standard type of mechanism which individual professionals use to make their expertise available to a circle of clients. The company is wholly owned by Ray and Sue Edmondson, who are also the Directors and the only regular employees. While it may employ others on occasion to obtain particular expertise, this is the exception rather than the rule. The enterprise has been deliberately kept at the simple and personal level. The key criterion for accepting a commission is not financial return: it is, rather, that the project advances the equitable development of archiving around the world.
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MISSION STATEMENT

To further the equitable development of audiovisual archiving, and its professional skills and status, by providing teaching, advisory, management and resource services to world's best practice standards.
Archive Associates is based in Canberra, Australia, but assignments are accepted anywhere in the world.

LOCATION

CHARACTER AND SERVICES

While registered under Australian law as a company, Archive Associates does not operate with a profit motive. After salaries and expenses, any surpluses are used to support pro-bono activities and sponsorship consistent with its mission. For example, since 2003 Archive Associates has provided a financial guarantee to SEAPAVAA to support the year-round operation of its Manila secretariat, as well as assistance to an African archivist completing study in audiovisual archiving.



The consultancy offers advice and services in all fields expressive of this mission, including:
  • Teaching, training and mentoring
  • Project and archive management
  • Policy development and writing
  • Strategic analysis and planning
  • Research and appraisal
  • Networking, promotion and advocacy
  • Applied philosophy and ethics

MEMBERSHIPS

Archive Associates Pty Ltd is an organisational affiliate of SEAPAVAA (South East Asia-Pacific Audiovisual Archive Association) and FIAF (International Federation of Film Archives).
Ray Edmondson holds personal memberships in:

  • AMIA - Association of Moving Image Archivists 

  • IASA – International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives

  • SEAPAVAA – South East Asia-Pacific AudioVisual Archive Association

  • ASA – Australian Society of Archivists

  • ACTS – Australian Cinema and Theatre Society 

  • ASRA – Australasian Sound Recordings Association

Principal

RAY EDMONDSON OAM, B.A. Dip Lib


After graduating in Arts and Librarianship at the University of New South Wales, Ray joined the Film Section of the National Library of Australia in 1968. In 1973 he established and led its new Film Archive Unit. In 1978 he became overall head of the Library's Film Section. Described as the 'moving spirit' behind the creation of the National Film and Sound Archive in 1984, he served as its Deputy Director until 2001, when he was endowed as its first honorary Curator Emeritus. During this public service career he devised and led corporately funded film restorations and pioneering programs like The Last Film Search and Operation Newsreel. His service as chair or board member of various professional or community organisations has been wide ranging and have included The Federation Line Inc., Music Roll Australia, Archive Forum and the Friends of the National Film and Sound Archive. Internationally, he served as inaugural President of SEAPAVAA (South East Asia Pacific AudioVisual Archive Association) from 1996 to 2002, and remains ex-officio Council member. He presently leads AMIA's Advocacy Task Force and co-chairs its International Outreach Task Force. Since 1996 he has been involved in UNESCO's Memory of the World Program, authoring its current General Guidelines, and presently serves on its national, regional and international committees. Ray writes, advises, speaks and constantly travels internationally and his regular teaching commitments include the professional audiovisual archiving courses offered by Charles Sturt University (Australia), University of East Anglia (UK) and the George Eastman House School of Film Preservation (USA). His latest monograph, Audiovisual Archiving: Philosophy and Principles was published by UNESCO in 2004. Born in 1943, Ray lives in Kambah, a suburb of Canberra, Australia, with Sue and their sons David and Peter. His interests include animation and comic strips, and mechanical music, and he is currently a doctoral student at Charles Sturt University.

AWARDS

In 1987 Ray was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his work in audiovisual archiving. In 2003 he received the AMIA Silver Light Award for outstanding career achievement.

CV and PUBLICATIONS

A full curriculum vitae can be found here, and list of publications can be accessed here.
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ARCHIVE ASSOCIATES Pty Ltd. Ray Edmondson (Director)

Phone: +61 413 486849
Email: click here
Canberra ACT
Australia