Report: the History of the Baltic Audiovisual Archival Council (BAAC)

2016 March

The Board of the Baltic Audiovisual Archival Council (BAAC) has made a decision to document the history of BAAC with reference to the 10th Anniversary of the work of BAAC in year 2015. The goal was to publish a book about the association.This project was not possible to make due to the cost of the work.

The goal for the paper presented is to publish a preliminary report about the history of the Baltic council. The report is also dealing with the prehistory of the association ,and the events leading to the setting up of a Baltic working group. Therefore, I have reported about meetings, venues, conferences, individual persons and above all, the support from two international associations in the field of audiovisual archives: The International Federation of Television Archives (FIAT/IFTA) and the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA). Important support from the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) and Swedish Television(SVT) was a must to establish a Baltic council for education in the field of audiovisual archives.

The report is focusing on the content of the Bylaws of BAAC signed at the Estonian Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, on March 21, 2006. The philosophy of the document is based on ideas and experience known among members of IASA and FIAT/IFTA.

The report contains different events, conferences, seminars and issues of importance to members of the audiovisual archives in the Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The preliminary report of the history of BAAC is not meant to present the total history of the work done. I take for granted that some members want to focus on issues other than those I have chosen. A critical approach to the report by members of BAAC might result in an up-dating of the content of the report?

Download: Report: the History of the Baltic Audiovisual Archival Council (BAAC)

More information on history of BAAC: BAAC virtual exhibition

Tedd Urnes
Member of the Board of BAAC and a founding member of BAAC