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SAA Receives Award from Library of Congress to Promote Photo Metadata Use and Preservation |
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Written by Stock Artists Alliance Press Release
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Tuesday, 07 August 2007 |
The
U.S. Library of Congress has awarded the Stock Artists Alliance one of
eight partnerships for preserving digital media. The partnerships are
part of the $2.15 million Preserving Creative America initiative of the
Library's National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation
Program (NDIIPP). www.digitalpreservation.gov/
These
partnerships each address different aspects of preservation, to help
insure the survival of digital media, whether images, movies, cartoons,
or even video games.
Being
recognized along with the likes of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences, Sony, and BMI, SAA's award comes as acknowledgment of
SAA's ongoing work to promote the importance of using and preserving
photo metadata. "With the Library's support, we will be able to expand
the reach and depth of our efforts to promote metadata best practices
among professional photographers and across the image licensing
industry," says Betsy Reid, SAA's Executive Director.
With its
award, SAA will develop online resources and professional seminars to
promote the importance of metadata for the long-term usability of
digital photographs. Specifically, SAA will use the award to:
- survey and report on current metadata practices
- develop a suite of online resources including screencast tutorials
- create a traveling educational program targeting professional photographers along with other image professionals; and
- publish an edition of SAA's [KEY]WORDS ezine solely dedicated to metadata.
These
activities will help SAA achieve its continuing goal of getting
photographers to embed metadata in their digital images. "Metadata
helps photographers not only preserve their images, but protect their
livelihoods," says SAA project leader David Riecks. "We want to create
resources to guide them in making the leap to using metadata."
According
to Reid, the use of metadata is key as it can help stem the loss of
essential information about images as they are disseminated by
distributors and repurposed by end users. Without this information,
archiving, retrieving, and repurposing images becomes difficult. "This
limits their usability both commercially and publicly," says Reid.
An
active proponent of metadata use and best practices, SAA established
itself as a leader with the publication of the widely recognized
"Metadata Manifesto" in 2006. Downloadable copies are available from
the SAA website at www.stockartistsalliance.org/info/news/news.htm#manifesto
"The
Manifesto was an initial step in building awareness of metadata and
promoting its standardization and use," says Riecks. "The licensing
community, as well as the public and private entities that use images
on a daily basis benefit from metadata, in the form of greater
efficiencies in image workflow and data retrieval," says Riecks. "Now
we need the participation and coordinated effort of industry
organizations, standards bodies, technology providers, and software
developers to further metadata use."
Given the amount of work to
do to achieve industry-wide commitment to using metadata, SAA welcomes
partner support from image licensors and users alike, says Reid.
About SAA
SAA
is the only trade association dedicated to the business interests of
stock photographers, supporting its members with information resources
and ongoing advocacy initiatives. More information about SAA is available at www.stockartistsalliance.org
SAA
also works closely with a number of groups allied in its mission,
including the International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) and
its working groups; Picture Licensing Universal System (PLUS); and the
Universal Photographic Digital Imaging Guidelines (UPDIG).
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 07 August 2007 )
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