Managing film heritage in Malaysian state libraries: Practices, constraints, and operational challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22452/Keywords:
Audiovisual preservation, Metadata standards, Library digitisation, Cultural heritage access, User engagement, Southeast Asian librariesAbstract
Audiovisual collections in Malaysian state libraries help preserve national and regional memory but are highly vulnerable due to fragile media, obsolete playback technologies, and limited digital infrastructure. Film collections in these libraries face increasing threats from fragile media, obsolete playback technologies, and limited digital infrastructure. This study examines current management practices, access conditions, and operational challenges in Malaysian state libraries, and develops an empirically grounded framework to support preservation and access. A qualitative approach was employed, involving interviews with fifteen participants from five Malaysian state libraries representing different geographical regions of Malaysia. The findings reveal four key issues: inconsistent and limited metadata practices; reliance on obsolete playback equipment for VHS, VCD, and DVD formats; declining use and low public awareness; and copyright and resource constraints that hinder digitisation efforts. Despite these challenges, participants expressed strong support for structured Digital Asset Management (DAM) approaches, particularly for standardising metadata, strengthening preservation planning, and enabling controlled digital access. Based on these findings, the study proposes a resource-sensitive DAM framework integrating OAIS-aligned workflow logic, audiovisual metadata standards (PBCore and PREMIS), phased digitisation, and multilingual access considerations. The framework is tailored to Malaysian public library realities and may be relevant to similar resource-constrained public library contexts in Southeast Asia.
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