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Outcome 4 - Increased use, enjoyment and safety of Australia's audiovisual heritage
Description
ScreenSound Australia, the National Screen and Sound Archive is responsible for collecting, storing, preserving and providing access to Australia's audiovisual heritage. The headquarters are in Canberra with offices in Melbourne and Sydney, and representation in Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart and Perth.
ScreenSound Australia operates as a semi-autonomous organisation within the Department. Its activities are supported by an advisory Council which provides advice to ScreenSound Australia.
ScreenSound Australia develops and maintains an audiovisual collection that is reflective of Australian culture and the audiovisual industry and encourages access and use of the collection throughout the country.
ScreenSound Australia has extensive technical facilities and world-class expertise in restoring a broad range of film, video and audio artefacts and, where necessary, transferring their content to modern media for preservation and access.
The collection is extensive and continues to grow, reflecting the vast output being generated throughout Australia. ScreenSound Australia nurtures partnerships with external experts and commercial organisations to ensure that the quality of the collection continues to increase. The collection is housed in world-class, environmentally controlled facilities and is monitored to ensure its safety.
Summary of major activities, significant issues and developments for Output 4.1
- New digital telecine machine and video noise reduction systems were added to ScreenSound Australia's extensive technical facilities, significantly enhancing the organisation's capabilities and expertise.
- A total number of 44 120 items were entered into ScreenSound Australia's collection management system database (MAVIS), an increase over the previous year, continuing a long-term trend which has seen a steady increase since 1993-1994.
- A major risk management project to improve the storage and accessibility of the poster collection was implemented.
- The sale of ScreenSound Australia's specifically developed collection management software (MAVIS) proceeded during the year with the Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv, Germany adopting the system in May.
- Significant acquisitions comprised:
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- 2000 Olympic and Paralympic footage including opening and closing ceremonies, welcome home parades and the torch relay;
- a major collection from Network Ten of some 4 600 video tapes covering the past 30 years;
- a substantial collection of Crawford Production titles including Homicide, All the Rivers Run and The Sullivans;
- more than 300 recordings from contemporary label, Shock Records; and
- donation of oral histories, transcripts, manuscripts, letters and photographs of the late actor, John Hargreaves.
- 2000 Olympic and Paralympic footage including opening and closing ceremonies, welcome home parades and the torch relay;
- A major sponsorship with Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd and Atlab Australia resulted in the acquisition of 16 new colour prints of Australian films from the 1970s and 1980s.
- Four major international consultancies and training packages were delivered to countries in the south-east Asia Pacific region.
Social justice and equity
During the year, ScreenSound Australia's Indigenous Reference Group, comprised of expert external representatives, provided active advice on the revision of the Archive's Indigenous Policy.
Indigenous employment opportunities have also been a primary focus for the Group with a combined approach to indigenous employment being pursued.
Other programs-including occupational health and safety, supervisor, workplace representative and manual handling training-have been maintained.
Performance Information: Output 4.1
The Collection is better described. One hundred per cent of new acquisitions accessioned within 18 months.
All new acquisitions into the Collection have been entered into ScreenSound Australia's collection management system database (MAVIS) within 18 months of receipt.
48 000 items accessioned in 2000-2001.
A total of 44 120 items were entered into the collection management system database in 2000-2001. While this is an increase of 890 items over the previous year it is an eight per cent shortfall against the target of 48 000 items. This shortfall is due in part to the reduction in accessing resources and the varying complexity of the items being accessed.
The Collection is continually safer. Materials maintained in optimum conditions for 95 per cent of the time.
During 2000-2001 optimum environmental storage conditions, in relation to relative humidity, were achieved for 91.8 per cent of the time, and temperature for 98.3 per cent of the time.
1.7 million items stored.
Some 1.5 million items are stored in the National Collection. This figure has been calculated following a detailed survey of the unaccessioned collection and is slightly lower than the estimate of 1.7 million items. A collection and storage review is currently underway which may lead to targeted de-selection activity, resulting in further reduction of the overall size of the collection over the coming two years.
The Collection is more reflective of Australian output. Materials obtained meet identified collection priority needs and formal preferences.
All acquired items met the criteria outlined in ScreenSound Australia's Collection Development Policy and guidelines. Several projects including Archiving Australia's Folk Music, Australian Jazz Archive, Oral History, Country Music, Home Movies and Documentaries were developed to broaden the Collection and make it more reflective of Australian output.
12 000 items acquired into the collection.
A total of 15 672 items were acquired into the collection, an increase of 43 per cent over 1999-2000 and an increase of 30 per cent against the target figure of 12 000 items. ScreenSound Australia continued to work with other government and commercial audiovisual media organisations to refine the mechanisms for automatically lodging contemporary materials into the National Collection.
20 000 items disposed from the collection.
A minimal number of items were de-selected from the collection during 2000-2001 pending a review of de-selection protocols for material excess to ScreenSound Australia's needs.
Output 4.2-The National audiovisual collection is widely accessed by the public.
Description
Access to ScreenSound Australia's national collection is gained through a wide range of public programs including exhibitions, live presentations, film screenings and products as well as direct access to collection material for research and broadcast purposes. Partnerships with industry, researchers, producers and performers are actively encouraged to ensure the widest possible use of the collection and its presentation to a diverse cross-section of Australians.
Summary of major activities, significant issues and developments for Output 4.2
- ScreenSound Australia's new major exhibition, Sights + Sounds of a Nation which opened in February 2001, more than doubled the exhibition space in its Canberra headquarters.
- Visitors attending a live presentation, exhibition, screening or event at ScreenSound Australia's headquarters totalled 77 500, an increase of 16.5 per cent over the previous year. Audience attendance at screenings external to Canberra totalled 43 000. The longer-term trend for these programs has seen a steady increase.
- Big Screen 2001: a celebration of Australian cinema-a major touring exhibition of Australian films presented in partnership with the Australian Film Commission and supported by the National Council for the Centenary of Federation, commenced in March and will visit 22 regional centres throughout Australia during 2001.
- Curriculum targeted learning programs have been developed ensuring that ScreenSound Australia's education experiences are relevant to all visiting schools. Educational resources and activities are now accessible online.
Social justice and equity
In 2000-2001, ScreenSound Australia's touring and public programs continued visiting rural and regional Australia. They accommodated a variety of visitor groups, including primary, secondary and tertiary students; community groups, clubs and seniors; those with specialist education interests; and people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
The availability of ScreenSound Australia's collection database on the Internet has greatly increased the accessibility of its Collection to regional and remote areas of Australia, as well as internationally.
ScreenSound Australia's product program, which releases video and audio compilations from the Collection, provides inexpensive and easy access to the Collection anywhere in Australia. ScreenSound Australia released 12 additional products in 2000-2001.
Wheelchair access is available at one of ScreenSound Australia's two main entrances. The provision of similar access at the front entrance of ScreenSound Australia's heritage-listed building in Canberra, is currently being assessed.
The ScreenSound Australia's website has been updated to ensure that it complies with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.
Performance Information: Output 4.2
The collection is more accessible through original or copied material. Ninety-five per cent of clients serviced according to Service Charter.
Feedback from surveys in 2000-2001 indicated that 98 per cent of clients were satisfied with ScreenSound Australia's programs and services. Formal feedback from ScreenSound Australia's clients during the year included 49 letters complimenting employee performance, programs and technical services with three written complaints being received.
1 300 access requests serviced throughout the year.
ScreenSound Australia's client centres in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney serviced 2 429 access requests through the year, an increase of 325 over 1999-2000. Staff also responded to a total of 10 590 initial enquiries, an increase of 350 from 1999-2000. This result illustrates the longer-term trend that has seen a steady rise in output since 1996-1997.
Research access to the Collection has been significantly enhanced by the availability of a continually updated collection database on ScreenSound Australia's website.
65 per cent (12 350 000 people) of the Australian public view or listen to at least one item from the collection during the year, via media distribution channels.
At least 65 to 70 per cent of Australia's population viewed or listened to some part of the National Collection during the year via media distribution channels. This equates to a minimum of 12 to 13 million individual people. Programs broadcast comprising archival material included: 100 Years: The Australian Story (ABC); Australians at War (ABC); From Vaudeville to Video-the History of Comedy in Australia (Nine Network); and Britain at War in Colour (BBC).
The collection is more accessible through interpretative programs and products. Ninety-five per cent of visitors satisfied.
Feedback from clients surveyed who visited ScreenSound Australia's new exhibition or attended live presentations and events indicated that overall 100 per cent of clients rated them as good to excellent in formal surveying. ScreenSound Australia's new Sights + Sounds of a Nation exhibition has received very positive feedback with comments such as-'What a wonderful way to learn our history' and 'What a fantastic achievement-congratulations, you all should be saluted'.
1 310 000 visitors to exhibition, screening or show.
During the year:
- 77 500 people visited exhibitions, presentations, screenings or events in Canberra;
- 36 600 people attended screenings external to Canberra;
- in excess of one million people listened to material broadcast on radio throughout the country, including a weekly ScreenSound Australia program, Theatre of the Mind;
- 21 000 people attended a travelling exhibition;
- archival gems were shown at all screenings at Hoyts Cinema Paris in Sydney from July to November 2000. In addition, 25 000 people per week over a 48 week period viewed small foyer exhibitions of ScreenSound Australia material installed at Hoyts Cinema Paris, Sydney and Hoyts Chadstone, Melbourne; and
- 200 000 people view/listen to ScreenSound Australia products.
An estimated 358 000 people viewed or listened to products based on the collection, comprising
238 000 people who viewed or listened to ScreenSound Australia products sold in 2000-2001 and
120 000 people who viewed or listened to ScreenSound Australia products sold in the previous five years. This is an increase of eight per cent from 1999-2000.
ScreenSound Australia's product development program produced 12 additional audio, video and print products drawn from film and sound material in the Collection during 2000-2001. The product range now totals 145 titles.