The Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of ...

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organization established to advance the field of moving image archiving by fostering cooperation among individuals and organizations concerned with the acquisition, description, preservation, exhibition and use of moving image materials.

History

Since the late 1960s, representatives from moving image archives have recognized the value of regular meetings to exchange practical information and experiences. Over the years, this group of archivists originally known as the Film and Television Archives Advisory Committee (F/TAAC) expanded from a handful of participants to several hundred archivists from over 100 national, regional and local institutions. In 1990, the name of the group was changed to the Association of Moving Image Archivists. In 1991, AMIA voted to formalize as an individual-based member-based

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and t ...

, the only one of its kind in the moving image archival field. Although AMIA's office is based in the US, its membership is now drawn from across the world.

Membership

Membership is open to anyone who has an interest in the preservation of moving images and associated sound recordings: in practice, most of the membership are professional

archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can consi ...

s (both

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, inf ...

and

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

) and people working in associated professions, e.g.

librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time ...

ship, the

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

industry or academics in related fields. AMIA offers both individual and institutional membership.

Governing structure

AMIA is governed by a

Board of Directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit orga ...

, which is elected by the membership on a two-year cycle, and chaired by a

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

. The Board oversees and ratifies the work of the sub-groups through which the work of the organization is undertaken. The last significant changes to the governing structure were undertaken in 2009, when the present structure of committees and task forces was introduced.

Current President

* 2021–Present: Rachael Stoeltje

Former Presidents

* 2018–2021: Dennis Doros * 2016–2017: Andrea Kalas *2012–2015: Caroline Frick * 2009–2011: Wendy Shay * 2005–2009: Janice L. Simpson * 2003–2005: Milt Shefter * 1999–2003: Sam Kula * 1997–1999: Linda Tadic * 1996–1997: Andrea Kalas * 1995–1996: Maxine Fleckner Ducey * 1994–1995: Eddie Richmond * 1993–1994: Ernest Dick * 1992–1993: Chris Horak * 1991–1992: Bill Murphy

Committees and Task Forces

AMIA is a volunteer based organization and projects rely on work done by its members in Committees and Task Forces. *

Committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

s of the Board carry out the core management and policymaking functions of AMIA, e.g. running elections and organizing the conference. Chairs are appointed directly by the Board of Directors, and although their members are volunteers drawn from within the wider AMIA membership, the rosters of Committees of the Board have to be approved by the Board. * Committees of the Membership are the bodies through which AMIA's professional presence in the field exists. They develop expertise, advocacy and education in the different topics and activities related to moving image archiving, e.g. preservation, copyright and cataloguing. Their rosters are volunteers from within the AMIA membership, and they elect their chairs directly. * Task Forces are created by the Board of Directors to carry out a specific projects which does not fall squarely within the remit of an existing committee, and are dissolved on completion of that task.

References

{{Authority control Film archives in the United States Film organizations in the United States Television archives in the United States Television organizations in the United States Non-profit organizations based in California Organizations established in 1990 Archivist associations History organizations based in the United States