Department of Audiovisual Material

The Department of Audiovisual Material (previously the Swedish National Archive of Recorded Sound and Moving Images) has ensured that Sweden's cultural heritage consisting of audio and motion picture media has been recorded and stored since 1979. The audiovisual collection includes TV and radio programs broadcast in Sweden, movies played in theaters, videos distributed in Sweden, Swedish music and multimedia recordings; in total almost seven million hours of material.

Areas of responsibility

We work with the entire process chain - from monitoring, collecting, documenting and preserving material to ensuring that material under the Legal Deposits Act is made available to the public. We are also responsible for handling donations and acquisitions.
Within the National Library's organization, the department is responsible for preservation, digitalization and metadata issues related to audiovisual material. We develop and maintain the Swedish Media Database (SMDB), which serves as an external interface for researchers. We are also responsible for the national discography – a catalogue of Swedish music.

Digitalization

The technical unit works to preserve the physical collections. This entails migrating film, video and audio from one type of media to another, for example from a cassette to a CD. We also carry out technical services (digitalization) on behalf of external actors, primarily archives, libraries and museums. We also produce audiovisual material for the National Library's publications.

External operations

The unit of the department responsible for external operations is located on Karlavägen in Stockholm. This unit is responsible for research services, which include interlibrary lending, exhibitions, lectures and the website in cooperation with the Communications Department and the Public Authority.

Cooperation

The Department of Audiovisual Material also cooperates with the following departments at the National Library:

• IT, with regard to digitalization and migration issues
• Collections, with regard to selection and digital collections
• National Cooperation and Collection, with regard to bibliographic issues.

We are also responsible for monitoring global developments within the industry and participate in a number of audiovisual organizations and projects.