Aldis Pūtelis LFK

How to Retain the Balance?How to Retain the Balance?Archives of Latvian Folklore Archives of Latvian Folklore

in the Digital Age in the Digital Age

Aldis PūtelisLFK

How to Retain the Balance? How to Retain the Balance? Archives of Latvian Folklore in the Digital AgeArchives of Latvian Folklore in the Digital Age

Archives are traditional institutions aimed at ●safekeeping and ●accessibilty

Demands of the modern user are quite clear – fast access, easy search. This practically means that archives must be accessible over the internet, as significant numbers of people prefer to perform their research not standing up from their chairs in front of computer desks.


Archives can provide access to their catalogues over the internet as some basic help to the users. But the archive registry entry is not the item users come looking for as the greatest number of users are looking for at least some samples of material.


The Archives of Latvian Folklore, a department of the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art, University of Latvia, is a genre-specific archive, with limited types of archived material:●manuscripts, ●sound recordings,●images and ●some video.

The range of information is limited to that of folklore material and its background information.

The archive was established in 1924 and started operation in 1926. With little change in work with manuscripts, it has retained the main principles from its foundation time along with the basic methods (like using card catalogues).


There are several aspects in archive work, that are in direct opposition to one another. Summarising those aspects one may say that serving the archive users requires establishing of balance between such matters:➢access expected by users and restrictions imposed by ethical and legal aspects➢creation of digitised archive material and that of digital usage copies➢digital copies of material and the analogue original


There are numerous problems encountered in the process of digitisation as well

as while working with the users, but some of those are really serious:✗ there is lack of necessary special knowledge,✗ the funding available is insufficient for specific archive needs, as there are no

specific balance positions,✗ there is no clarity regarding the legal matters,✗ the digital media develops faster than a small archive can (e.g. current

equipment and software is incapable of 24 bit audio and sampling frequencies above 48 kHz)


The achievements so far are as follows:the audiovisual archive, comprising phonograph cylinder and tape recordings, still images and VHS video is completely catalogued in a data base,


The achievements so far are as follows: the audiovisual archive, comprising phonograph cylinder and tape recordings,

still images and VHS video is completely catalogued in a data base, the data base is made available over the web at LFK's homepage



still images and VHS video is completely catalogued in a data base, the data base is made available over the web at LFK's homepage, most of the images and a significant part of the sound recordings are available

as samples on the web (images at 72 dpi 640x640 *.jpg, sound as 56 kbps *.mp3)





all of the oldest sound recordings have been digitised and made available without necessity to use the original playback hardware






all of the prints and drawings registered in the card catalogues have been digitised and can be accessed from any computer at LFK,






all of the prints and drawings registered in the card catalogues have been digitised and can be accessed from any computer at LFK,

as a result of this development, collections previously kept privately are submitted to LFK for archiving.


The digital age has not yet fully arrived at LFK, neither has it solved all of the problems that there were before.

At the cost of all these problems we have managed to make our collections more accessible.

Now we must find ways to secure the safekeeping of material.


Thank you for your attention!

See it all for yourself at

http://www.lfk.lv

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Aldis Pūtelis LFK