Mansoureh Afshar, head of the non-book resources processing group at the National Library and Archives of Iran, warned in an interview on the occasion of World Audiovisual Heritage Day about the serious dangers facing the country's audiovisual heritage. She pointed out the importance of these resources, stating that sometimes a historical photo or the voice of an influential figure contains information that is not easily accessible in written documents.
Physical and Digital Vulnerability
Afshar noted that audiovisual heritage is not just remnants of the past, but they provide the opportunity to gain a more accurate understanding of social life, cultural transformations, and the historical experiences of previous generations. However, she pointed to the physical vulnerability of these resources, saying: "Films, magnetic tapes, and negatives are damaged by temperature, humidity, light, and pollution. Some of these resources require specialized equipment that is becoming increasingly rare."
Mansoureh Afshar also emphasized that the digital nature of a resource does not guarantee its longevity, stating: "Digital resources also face threats such as file corruption and lack of proper backups." She mentioned the occurrence of war as another serious threat, saying: "In wartime conditions, these resources may be directly destroyed due to military attacks or fires."
Lack of Specialized Processing and Proper Protection
Afshar pointed to the lack of specialized processing of resources, saying: "If resources are not cataloged by specialized librarians, the recorded information remains incomplete, reducing the possibility of searching and retrieving them. Forgetting a work does not always mean its physical destruction."
She continued by referring to the process of protecting these works, stating: "Protecting audiovisual heritage is a multi-step process that includes identification, proper maintenance, preventive protection, and specialized restoration. Digitization can also help preserve these resources, but it is not sufficient on its own and must be accompanied by quality control and technical information recording."
Mansoureh Afshar ultimately addressed the role of artificial intelligence in this field, saying: "This technology has created new capacities for identifying and improving the quality of damaged works, but it must be supervised by experts."
She emphasized that the authenticity of the work and the rights of creators must be respected in the use of artificial intelligence. In response to the question of what the loss of this heritage would take away from society, she said: "The loss of a local dialect or an image of a historical monument means losing a historical witness."
Considering UNESCO's slogan for World Audiovisual Heritage Day titled 'Your Window to the World', Afshar pointed out: "This heritage is a window to life and history, and to keep this window open, proper identification, protection, and cataloging must be carried out."
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