One of the first criteria is the function and scope of the content, which means considering its meaning. For development projects, it is important to use content with positive images and a positive message. Material showing people in an inappropriate state or that might embarrass participants should be banned. Clips in which the participant stumbles while walking should also be avoided. The images may also reveal subtle social features of the community at the time they were taken: small details that show customs or practices, either in the background, through clothing, language, etc.
An image can have different meanings, depending on the context of use. It is recommended to avoid distorting the content or statements. The tendency of archiving is to ensure that the content is integral, for example, archiving the entirety of a filmed interview, rather than archiving certain excerpts. This method does not prevent us from extracting passages for the creation of a transmission device. When it comes to archiving, it should be ensured that anyone with access has the tools needed to understand the statements expressed. The fact remains that audiovisual documents should always contribute to the development of First Nations communities.
For photographs, the criteria are quite similar to those of audiovisual content. It is important to have the permission of the people in the photograph. For instance, photographs in which a child is easily recognizable raise an ethical concern, as they require parental consent. This type of content should be avoided unless the necessary permissions are obtained. Not all photographs are necessarily useful either, especially when they are duplicates or when they display the same subject with slight variations in the scene.
For visual documents, the concept of aesthetics follows the criteria of relevance, ethics and content development. The following questions should be considered: Should images showing the team at work be archived? The short exerts filmed which show about ten seconds of landscape? And what should be done with images where the frame, sharpness or colour balance are unsatisfactory?
Downloadable tool
File "Public and non-public archiving"
