Indigenous - DAMsmart

Protecting an essential history

The preservation of indigenous history and knowledge is a matter of national importance. Artwork, audio, film, photography and a variety of other mediums have been used to tell the story of indigenous communities throughout time.

But for audiovisual media in a physical form, this information is susceptible to wear and tear that may compromise its survival. No matter how well-stored an archive is, many formats weren’t designed to withstand the test of time. Digitisation can protect these assets, as well as making them more accessible for future generations.

Bring your archive into the future

At DAMsmart, we don’t just transfer your content to a CD or hard drive and call it a day. We are archival specialists who understand the importance of quality and integrity in the preservation process.

We have experience in handling irreplaceable indigenous collections and work with full regard to the cultural sensitivities required by the custodians of these collections when processing records of a sacred or secret nature. Our processes have been developed in line with global best-practice, and our audio digitisation services comply with the guidelines set out in the IASA TC-04 standard.

We deliver standards-based formats such as the lossless JPEG2000 for your video preservation and can provide a range of other digital derivatives to meet any other access and distribution needs you may have.

Why DAMsmart?

“We approached DAMsmart to assist with the preservation of precious language resources at the Kimberley Language Resource Centre. They stood out from other suppliers as a company with a strong record of dealing with heritage collections, providing services to a number of leading institutions. We knew that standards for ensuring future migration and management of the digital copies of our heritage recordings were important factors, so we chose DAMsmart who understood our need to preserve these resources indefinitely. The team provided fantastic advice and support in the planning phase of the project, so we were able to identify the best resources to send for copying and devise a file naming system to ensure we could identify every one of the thousands of digital files on their return. DAMsmart were able to assist with packing and transport arrangements from Halls Creek to Canberra and back. Transport was a key concern for the KLRC, situated in a remote rural town, with limited services.

We were delighted with the result, all of our heritage recordings safety returned to the archive, online copies of files, photos, audio and audiovisual recordings all accessible on our network. This has opened up new possibilities for us in supporting language preservation in the Kimberley and we look forward to working with DAMsmart in future to further the preservation of our resources.”

Leedo Davis Manager

A trusted partner

Indigenous history and knowledge is precious and unique, which is why you need a partner you can trust. Some of the country’s biggest institutions have used our services, so you can put your faith in DAMsmart’s track record. We have worked with the Kimberley Language Resource Centre, Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and others.

We are ready to help you access and save your important Indigenous language and cultural history.

Learn how our services are suited to digitise valuable and sensitive indigenous heritage.

Video Digitisation Audio Digitisation Film Digitisation

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