ABSTRACT
The International Federation of Television Archives (FIAT/IFTA) is an international association of archives holding television programs and production material. Formed in 1977, it was initially made up of the archives of major broadcasting organizations, but grew to encompass national archives, technology companies, academic institutions, and others. Its main aim is information exchange, which it achieves through annual conferences, regional and specialist seminars, publications and its Web site. It cooperates with other international associations in its field and with UNESCO and attempts to draw attention to the historic importance of the audiovisual heritage throughout the world and to the dangers to its continued preservation. The recent growth of digital technologies and outlets has revolutionized the possibilities for television archives and brought a host of new concerns to FIAT/IFTAs agenda.
