VideoArt Denmark

http://www.videoart.suite.dk/
http://www.videoart.suite.dk/preservation/start-2.htm

The second link is for preservation guidelines.

Excerpt from their introduction:
"This paper concentrates in the first hand on the preservation of video tapes. Also other forms of immaterial variable media art works - or unstable media - might of course need preservation. When the paper concentrates on art works on video tapes it is in the first hand because THE DANISH VIDEO ART DATA BANK has it's point of origin in a video workshop -in the second hand on the evaluation that it just now is urgent to do something with the old video tapes to save the art works created with and on the "traditional", "old-fashioned" video tapes - especially out of experiences with the older U-matic tapes in the Archives of THE DANISH VIDEO ART DATA BANK."

Their definition of terms:
"Preservation
... covers all the activities and functions which help to make a suitable and safe environment for the video tapes – the comprehensive programs and activities to safeguard the tapes, both old and new and both now and for the future. This also includes conservation and restoration.

Conservation
... should stabilise and prevent further deterioration and damage to the video tapes and may include cleaning tapes and maintaining equipment and providing proper storage and handling procedures.

Restoration
... covers both the restoration of the physical media and of the recorded information and may include actions to repair damaged tapes and equipment and to stop further deterioration in order to be able to access and playback the recorded information."


and:
"The artist’s intent versus the Archives’ intent

We have already quoted some of the critical remarks from RHIZOME DIGEST: April 13, 2001 to the idea of the questionnaire and the comments in RHIZOME DIGEST: April 20, 2001 from Jon Ippoliti, Guggenheim.

Anyway you might say that just because a museum or archive has acquired a video art work or the artist has deposited it with the museum/archive it does not imply that the museum/archive can do whatever it likes with it. There has to be a mutual agreement between the artist and the museum/archive clearly stating the intent of the artist concerning how and if the museum."