AMIA 2026 | Workshops
All workshops require a minimum number of registrations. If the minimum is not met by November 4, the workshop will be cancelled and registration fees will be fully refunded.
8:30am – 12:30pm
Compact Cassette Repair and Rehousing
- Karl Fleck, Northeast Document Conservation Center
- Bryce Roe, Northeast Document Conservation Center
Repairs of compact cassettes are an inevitable part of the digitization process. However, compact cassettes are finicky! They can degrade in the same way as open reel tapes, and their myriad components are tiny. Therefore, specialized techniques and considerations are required when undertaking this kind of work. This introductory/beginner-level workshop will be a hands-on class dedicated to the intricacies of repairing compact cassettes for digitization. It will include techniques for disassembling the cassette shell; safe handling of the tape pack; repairing and replacing splicing tape; and rehousing. Fees for the workshop will include a repair kit (value $75).
8:30am – 12:30pm
Sustainable AI for Sovereign Audiovisual Archives
- Erik Mannens, Ghent University
AI is rapidly transforming audiovisual archives through automated metadata generation, restoration, transcription, recommendation systems, and synthetic media workflows. Yet many current AI systems remain energy-intensive, opaque, difficult to audit, and heavily dependent on external technology providers. How can archives embrace AI innovation while safeguarding sustainability, authenticity, transparency, and institutional sovereignty? This workshop explores Sustainable AI as a pathway toward trustworthy and sovereign AI infrastructures for audiovisual heritage institutions, based on Flemish Use Cases of Meemoo & Limecraft. Participants will discuss practical and strategic approaches for creating AI systems that are more energy-efficient, explainable, auditable, and aligned with archival ethics and public values. Topics include AI provenance, synthetic media verification, multimodal archival reasoning, vendor lock-in, environmental impact, and governance frameworks for AI-enabled archives. The workshop is designed for archivists, preservation specialists, media technologists, and cultural heritage professionals seeking to better understand the long-term implications of AI for audiovisual preservation and access.
9:00am – 5:00pm
Technical Basics for Non-Engineers
- James Snyder, Consultant
The workshop will focus on providing a good technical basis, in plain English, for those who do not already have audiovisual engineering training. The goal is to allow non-technical people of all types to have a good, basic grasp of the technologies, concepts and terms involved in audiovisual recording and reproduction in general, digitization of audiovisual materials, and what is involved in file-based workflows, metadata and long-term data archiving once materials are digitized. People who attend the workshop will walk away with a good, operating grasp of the technologies involved, de-mystifying the terms and concepts audiovisual archivists face every day at institutions large and small to know what materials they are looking at, how to handle their preservation, how to plan for their digital conversion, and have a functional knowledge of the terminology and concepts required to write grants and contracts for digital conversion and storage of audiovisual materials.
9:00am – 5:00pm
Film Restoration Essentials for Small Archives and Non-Profits
- Fabio Bedoya, Filmfinity
Many small archives and non-profit collections hold film materials that need restoration attention, but do not have dedicated restoration departments, large budgets, or easy access to specialized facilities. This full-day hands-on workshop introduces the practical essentials of digital film restoration for participants who need to make informed decisions, supervise projects, or perform basic work themselves. The workshop uses DaVinci Resolve and prepared sample media to walk participants through a realistic restoration workflow: project setup, media organization, scan assessment, color and density balancing, stabilization, dust and dirt reduction, grain and noise handling, shot comparison, render/export checks, and documentation. It will also include a short final section on adjacent open-source and local machine-learning tools, showing practical experiments with approaches such as CopyCat-style training and Qwen-based image models, with emphasis on limits, risks, and appropriate use. The emphasis is not on turning participants into full-time restoration artists in one day, but on giving them a reliable framework for understanding what restoration tools can and cannot do. The session is designed for beginner to intermediate attendees, especially archivists, collection managers, media technicians, and staff from small organizations. Participants should bring a laptop with DaVinci Resolve installed and external storage or enough free disk space for workshop materials. DaVinci Resolve Studio is preferred for the fullest toolset, but the free version can be used to follow along with some limitations. The workshop brings a practical and inclusive perspective to restoration training by focusing on the decisions small organizations actually face: how to identify defects, how to avoid over-processing, when a free or low-cost tool is sufficient, when a task requires a specialist, how to preserve the integrity of the source, and how to communicate clearly with vendors. The instructor has taught versions of this workshop for AMIA audiences and works professionally as a film restorer, colorist, and trainer
1:30pm – 5:30pm
Creating your Own Organizational Sustainability Playbook
- Katherine Kim, Educopia
- Rachel Mattson, Educopia
- Sherr Lo, Nonprofit Finance Fund
- Sendy Alcidonis, Nonprofit Finance Fund
What do you do when a major source of funding is no longer available? What happens when the strategic plan you developed in the past doesn’t apply to current circumstances? How can you plan for organizational sustainability while navigating uncertainty? This workshop led by staff from Educopia and the Nonprofit Finance Fund will introduce a core set of principles and tools that support adaptive planning around organizational sustainability in three major strategic areas: finances, leadership and decision-making, and stakeholder engagement. The playbook and facilitation will introduce tools around: – Assessing your organization’s current situation and identifying vulnerabilities – Scenario planning for your organization, with a focus on finances – Understanding and transforming your organization’s decision-making processes – Engaging stakeholders in meaningful, equitable partnerships Level up your skills and use existing frameworks creatively to ensure that your mission-driven work can continue to thrive even under these difficult conditions.
10:00am – 5:00pm
Community Archiving Workshop
- Grace Lile, Independent
- Emily Pojman, University of North Texas Libraries Special Collections
- Crystal Rangel, New York Public Library
- Leila Sherbini, Michigan State University
- Daniel Lin, Baltimore County Public Libraries
A Community Archiving Workshop (CAW) has been held in conjunction with the annual AMIA conference every year since 2011. Participation in the CAW provides moving image archivists the opportunity to serve the local community and work with local volunteers to help an organization gain intellectual and physical control over an unprocessed audiovisual collection.
Attendees will engage in hands-on processing, inspection, and cataloging of audiovisual media, and gain experience in working with and training non-archivists in these basics of collections care. Just as importantly, they will build relationships and connections with local members of the Pittsburgh community, and learn about local history.