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From Granny to Google: digital transmission in the world of Irish traditional music

Title (author1): 
Ms
First names (author1): 
Grace
Surname (author 1): 
Toland
Institution: 
Irish Traditional Music Archive
Country: 
IRELAND
Presentation type: 
spoken paper
Date: 
1 Oct Thursday
Start time: 
1 200
Venue: 
Grand Auditorium
Abstract: 

From Granny to Google: the Irish Traditional Music Archive, 1987-2015.
The Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) is a national public reference archive and resource centre for the traditional song, instrumental music and dance of Ireland. It has been digitising analogue audiovisual recordings and creating contemporary audiovisual digital recordings of Irish traditional song, music and dance since its foundation in 1987. Technological developments in the intervening years have duly changed ITMA's recording techniques and archival storage carriers, and this in turn has influenced how it has engaged with its user communities, in all their variety. Equally since 2008 when ITMA began to upload digitised and born digital material to its website, technological developments have had an even more profound influence on its relationship with users.
I would like to present a multimedia overview of ITMA's technological journey and how this has influenced its engagement with users at both practical and conceptual levels. The presentation will detail examples of in-house dissemination projects and external partnerships and how these have been influenced by technological developments. It will focus in some depth on how its current ability to exploit digital files and data, has opened new opportunities to engage with users and other organisations. While acknowledging technological potential, this narrative will also stress an underlying belief in the creation of trusted, quality metadata as the fuel for productive engagement in the future, as it has done in the past.
As the newly appointed Director of the Irish Traditional Music Archive, this presentation will allow the IASA Conference community join with me, as I delve in to ITMA’s corporate memory to create an institutional timeline of development. Using extensive institutional multimedia resources, I would like to present a rich ‘audio’ and ‘visual’ filled presentation on ITMA’s place in the world of Irish traditional music.