The Fonoteka of the Uzbek Academy of Sciences' Institute for Art Studies
The Fonoteka of the Uzbek Academy of Sciences’ Institute for Art Studies (IA) is a unique archive of audio and some film recordings, plus a wealth of accompanying documentation. Its holdings, dating from 1930 until the 1990s, comprise phonograph cylinders, magnetic tape, various disc formats‚ and 35mm film. Collections consist of recordings from the IA’s own research and documentation activities and are complemented by tapes of the Tashkent Record Company, and a collection of rare Soviet era commercial vinyl records.
These collections held by the Fonoteka, focusing on music in the Uzbek SSR and the Uzbek diaspora in neighbouring republics, represent a unique cultural and academic heritage. Throughout its history access to the Fonoteka has been extremely restricted, and today its collections are inaccessible to scholars and the public alike, mainly due to a lack of infrastructure and expertise for the restoration and digitization of historical sound carriers. In addition to the cultural and academic value of the recordings, there is also a matter of urgency regarding their digitization, due to the natural deterioration of the carriers and the increasing obsolescence of replay equipment.
The goal of the project is twofold:
- to provide the IA with the necessary sustainable technical infrastructure for the restoration, digitization, cataloguing, physical safeguarding and digital storage of the Fonoteka’s collections and their accompanying documentation according to state of the art standards.
- to train and re-train staff in the above mentioned activities, provide consultation in these areas and in the field of legal and ethical clearance, and help with quality control.
With the fulfilment of these goals, the Fonoteka will in future be in a position to act as a centre of competency for similar digitization and cataloguing projects in the region.
Supported by:
