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A lot is happening at Library and Archives Canada
and I will share it with you in this video series.
Let's start with a project that is critical
to our vast and rich collection.
Did you know that Library and Archives Canada has over
half a million hours of audio and video recordings
and some 90-thousand motion picture film titles?
Everything from interviews, music,
television and radio broadcasts, to parliamentary proceedings
and much much more can be found in our collection.
But they are at risk.
Audio-visual records deteriorate.
Formats like Betamax, reel-to-reel
and VHS become obsolete.
The machines that can play them are disappearing.
Once this equipment goes, access to our
audio and video content may be lost forever.
That's why we have embarked on an ambitious plan to transfer
this content to standard computer formats.
It will not only preserve these unique records,
it will make them much more accessible.
And, to more people.
As you can imagine, this is no easy task.
Migrating half a million hours of at-risk
audio and video recordings to standard digital file format
is a monumental project.
A project that will also create digital versions suitable for
online access at the same time.
And this makes sense, given that our holdings
are increasingly being accessed online by Canadians.
This is a shining example of how digitization can help improve
our preservation program.
It also allows us to penetrate into the digital universe by
providing unlimited access to these collections.
Given the size and scope of this project,
we are working with other partners to complete the task.
It is through collaborative efforts that
we can take full advantage of the digital revolution
to save these recordings.
In turn, this allows us to share the information
with a lot more people.