The technology simply didn’t exist to record in the pre-war and immediate post-war period. Very early television programmes, for example, are now lost forever. Of course, archives are not without their problems or their gaps. As a heritage institute, it preserves the audiovisual material of the Netherlands, with material from the country’s various broadcasters under one roof. It provided a useful model for the establishment of the Welsh archive. One such organisation is the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, Beeld en Geluid, which opened in 1997.
For the first time, members of the public will be able to see historical footage of their local areas and hear voices from years gone by.Īlthough the Wales Broadcast Archive is unique within the UK, there are similar institutions further afield. It is a unique source of information which will give historians and others an insight into the history of the nation.Īs well as preserving our broadcast heritage in its original and digitised form in Aberystwyth, people around Wales will be able to access around 500,000 hours of archive footage in dedicated “clip centres” housed across the nation. It contains material reflecting all aspects of life in both the English and Welsh languages. However, the new Wales archive is unique in that it brings together the archives of its three major broadcasters - BBC, ITV and S4C. Last year, though, the BBC opened up part of its digitised archive online, allowing the public to access some of its hidden gems. More often than not, access to broadcast archives has been restricted to those working within the industry or academic researchers. They represent a priceless heritage which is an affirmation of our collective memory and a valuable source of knowledge, since they reflect the cultural, social and linguistic diversity of our communities. That it is the first of its kind in the UK, however, raises important questions about access to our audiovisual history.Īs Unesco remarked on the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage last October:Īudiovisual archives tell us stories about people’s lives and cultures from all over the world. Housed at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, the archive features a cornucopia of material dating back to the early days of broadcasting in Wales, including film, radio and video. This month’s launch of the Wales Broadcast Archive marks a major step forward in the curation of our collective audiovisual heritage.
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