Date: 12 May 2007, Sat
Time: 3.30pm
Venue: VBR room, National Library 1st Floor,
           100 Victoria Street Singapore 188064

Synopsis of Programme
Ray Edmondson is a member of the Asian Film Archive International Advisory Board and one of the most respected and knowledgeable audiovisual archivists in the world. This free-form discussion is for Ray and the audience to delve into the issues and concerns that audiovisual archivists in our region are faced with. From the technical aspects of archiving to the philosophical and ethical dilemmas of archiving, Ray will share his experiences and throw light on possible solutions and alternatives to the problems encountered in the profession. In addition, with the blurring of disciplines, Ray will explore the topic of how libraries and archives are merging while maintaining their relevance to the community.

Please register at info@asianfilmarchive.org by 11 May to confirm your place. Seats are limited and distributed on a first come, first serve basis. 

Biodata of Speaker
RAY EDMONDSON OAM, B.A. Dip Lib; Principal at Archive Associates Pty Ltd After graduating in Arts and Librarianship at the University of New South Wales, Ray joined the Film Section of the National Library of Australia in 1968. In 1973 he established and led its new Film Archive Unit. In 1978 he became overall head of the Library's Film Section. Described as the 'moving spirit' behind the creation of the National Film and Sound Archive in 1984, he served as its Deputy Director until 2001, when he was endowed as its first honorary Curator Emeritus. During this public service career he devised and led corporately funded film restorations and pioneering programs like The Last Film Search and Operation Newsreel.

His service as chair or board member of various professional or community organisations has been wide ranging and have included The Federation Line Inc., Music Roll Australia, Archive Forum and the Friends of the National Film and Sound Archive. Internationally, he served as inaugural President of SEAPAVAA (South East Asia Pacific AudioVisual Archive Association) from 1996 to 2002, and remains ex-officio Council member. He presently leads AMIA's Advocacy Task Force and co-chairs its International Outreach Task Force. Since 1996 he has been involved in UNESCO's Memory of the World Program, authoring its current General Guidelines, and presently serves on its national, regional and international committees.

Ray writes, advises, speaks and constantly travels internationally and his regular teaching commitments include the professional audiovisual archiving courses offered by Charles Sturt University (Australia), University of East Anglia (UK) and the George Eastman House School of Film Preservation (USA). His latest monograph, Audiovisual Archiving: Philosophy and Principles, was published by UNESCO in 2004.

Born in 1943, Ray lives in Kambah, a suburb of Canberra, Australia, with Sue and their sons David and Peter. His interests include animation and comic strips, and mechanical music, and he is currently a doctoral student at Charles Sturt University.

Awards
In 1987 Ray was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his work in audiovisual archiving. In 2003 he received the AMIA Silver Light Award for outstanding career achievement.

About Archive Associates Pty Ltd
Archive Associates Pty Ltd was established in May 2001 by the husband and wife team of Ray and Sue Edmondson, following Ray's retirement from the Australian Public Service and from his long-time position as Deputy Director of Australia's National Film and Sound Archive, in order to concentrate on growing demands for his services in the archival field internationally. Archive Associates is, in Australian legal parlance, a "personal exertion" company - the standard type of mechanism which individual professionals use to make their expertise available to a circle of clients. The mission of the company is to further the equitable development of audiovisual archiving, and its professional skills and status, by providing teaching, advisory, management and resource services to world's best practice standards.

About Asian Film Archive
The Asian Film Archive is a non-governmental organisation founded to preserve the rich film heritage of Singapore and Asian Cinema, to encourage scholarly research on film, and to promote a wider critical appreciation of this art form. As an important nexus, it brings together the various segments of the Asian film community in order to open and enrich new intellectual, educational and creative spaces. The Asian Film Archive aspires to be a hub for the film community, contributing to culture, scholarship and industry. The Archive is a registered charity, a non-governmental organisation and an Institution of Public Character (IPC) through its membership with the National Heritage Fund - Central Fund (Singapore). The Archive is also a proud affliate of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) and Southeast Asia Pacific Audio Visual Archive Association (SEAPAVAA).

Acknowledgements
The Asian Film Archive would like to thank Ray Edmondson for sharing his experience and expertise with us. This programme was made possible with the generous support of the National Library Board.


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