Give a DAM! Ways to Organize Multimedia

As long as humans have collected information, we have tried to organize it. The sprawling sum of all of human history would be without value if it existed in unorganized fragments of dense information. The parsing of this gargantuan mess of information would take as many lifetimes as had ever existed. From oral history practices to a Spotify playlist, humans have creatively organized information in forms that give it context and meaning. For some information curators, this requires some sophisticated technology that a mere list or folder could not organize.

 To properly store and organize media, many use digital access management (DAM) systems.  Be it photos, audio recordings, video, or documents, many DAM systems provide you access to your multimedia digital assets in a centralized location. The centralization of your digital assets makes them easier to share and it facilitates collaboration with others. 

Beyond acting as a repository, DAM systems allow the addition of metadata to the system. Metadata is information about the contents of the system. This could include titles, descriptions, keywords, and media attributes. Furthermore, DAM systems can contain data management tools such at version tools, which allows for change tracking. These metadata features can enhance efficiency in retrieving specific information. 

DAM systems can keep your digital assets secure. Many DAM systems allow media to be backed up and archived, which is vital to long term preservation. Additionally, a DAM system can provide encryption and access controls to protect your assets. 

Here at Archival Works, we often interact with clients maintaining their own DAM systems. Plenty of clients find themselves in need of rigorous data management. Documentary projects, journals, and museums often need healthy media management in order. Archival Works is aware of and compatible with these needs. Clients will give us their raw media in a variety of formats. Whether it be electronic news gathering (ENG) formats like Betacam SP, Digital Betacam, DVCAM, or HDCAM SR, or more common consumer formats like VHS or DVD. In return, we provide the requested digitization and metadata in congruence with their existing DAM systems. 

The field of media recovery and digitization often includes decades of data that is not processed or organized. Stacks of unlabeled film that could be full of forgotten experiences with loved ones. Slides in boxes that are daunting in their mystery. We hope that our work in recovering this media will help our clients find ways to better access the past they have trusted with us. That this media, now recovered, can facilitate the sharing of that past.