Department of Communication Studies, Concordia University. Introduction

Transcription

1 Department of Communication Studies, Concordia University Introduction The COMS Archive is an initiative of the Department of Communication Studies. It is designed to collect, archive, and showcase research (articles, books, papers, etc) and creation (films, videos, soundworks, intermedia projects, etc) produced in the Department by faculty and students. The project was commenced, with minimal internal funding, in Winter The COMS Archive makes use of the Department s new facilities, specifically its inhouse computer servers and its local-area network (LAN). Material collected in the COMS Archive will be made available within the Department s classrooms and offices for use in teaching, instruction and research. Selected works from the COMS Archive will also be assembled in a rotating but representative Showcase, accessible via the Department s website. (The Showcase will ultimately replace the current Gallery.) Material collected in the COMS Archive may also be used from time to time to promote the Department or the University. The exact uses to which individual works are put will depend on the preferences of each researcher/creator, as declared at the time of submission. In the interests of accessibility, media works such as films and videos that are publicly accessible via the Department s website will be of lower quality than the versions available in offices and classrooms within the Department. It is important to note that this a speculative project: There is little certainty right now among archivists globally about the most favourable ways to preserve digital media, but the most promising routes are both expensive and massively labour-intensive. We are therefore proceeding cautiously, and with very limited resources. The success of the COMS Archive depends on the quality and quantity of the material submitted, as well as on the initiative of individual faculty in collecting and submitting personal and student work with minimal supervision. Work submitted to the COMS Archive will be processed intermittently throughout the school year by volunteers or work/study students. (We cannot process submissions on short notice.) Matt Soar (faculty supervisor) Scott Prentice (technical consultant) Cecilia Chen (phd student, departmental assistant) Mél Hogan (grad student; temporary facilitator) comsarchive@concordia.ca 1

2 COMS Archive Guidelines for Submission 1. Go to the COMS Archive at and fill in the basic details to obtain a Tracking Number. (This number will allow you to make changes to your submission at a later date). 2. Upload your work directly through the online form (if it is under the limit of 50 Mb), or drop off your audio file as a hard copy labeled with your Tracking Number at the Learning Centre. Each submission should have a distinct Tracking Number and be handed-in in a case. You can also mail in your submission to: Attn: COMS Archive Department of Communication Studies 7141 Sherbrooke Street West CJ 3.230, 3rd Floor Montréal, Québec Canada H4B 1R6 Saving your Video Project for the COMS Archive In order to submit work for the archive, a few simple steps must be followed. We are asking for projects to follow the guidelines below for two reasons. One, we are creating an archive with the intention of preserving the best quality of video available to us, and ensure its access for as long as possible given the rapidly changing climate of video technology and file formats. Secondly, because nothing is worth preserving if it cannot be accessed, the guidelines will help us keep works organized, and help you and others find your work easily for future reference. The best quality video we are looking asking for the Archive is an uncompressed QuickTime Movie. {If your uncompressed project is bigger than what fits on a standard comsarchive@concordia.ca 2

3 DVD, compress the video as little as possible to make it fit. Please us for further instruction We are also asking for thumbnail images or stills to accompany your work. This is optional but highly recommended, as these images will be used to display video projects on the Archive Website. Thumbnails should be in jpeg format and uploaded through the online form. If you have more than one still, which is likely, put them in a folder and upload the folder (.zip). comsarchive@concordia.ca 3

4 Guidelines: In FCP, to save a version of your work that is uncompressed, go to: File>>Export>>Quick Time Movie Make sure you save your video with the same title as your piece. If you have a long title, shorten it so that your title has fewer than 8 characters. If you have more than one word in your title, use the underscore so that the title has no spaces. Avoid using any special characters. If your video is a 4:3 ratio, save as: comsarchive@concordia.ca 4

5 If your video is a 16:9 ratio, save as: You can then locate your file on your computer, and drag this QuickTime Movie onto a DVD and burn it (as a DATA DVD). Saving your film as a Data DVD makes it easier to copy, compress and share with the Concordia Community. The Learning Centre staff will compress your video for the showcase. Remember that all copyright concerns are filled out through the online form and will be respected. Fill out a form online at This form will allow you to enter important information about your work that will help you contextualize your project, identify contributors and so on. This information will also allow people to be able to search the COMS Archive database for your work. comsarchive@concordia.ca 5

6 Selected works will be part of the COMS Archive Showcase, which will display the most creative works produced at Concordia University. One you have filled out the form, you will be assigned a TRACKING NUMBER. This unique identifier is the code you will use to mark your DVD, along with your name and address, to be dropped off at the learning centre. This tracking number will also allow you to make modifications or add information at a later date. Keep it handy. Contact us if you loose it or have any questions: comsarchive@concordia.ca The COMS Archives committee is currently building the front end of the interface that will allow you to see your work. We will inform all contributors when this part of the project is ready. Thank you. comsarchive@concordia.ca 6