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This renewed interest in geriatric video equipment and a rediscovery of the alternative video of the 70s and 80s in VIVO’s fourth decade, has resulted in a reactivation of the archive, and highlights the pressing need to secure access to the history of video art.

When the counter culture first discovered video, there was little thought given to permanence. The technology was experimental and its usefulness as a social tool lay in its affordability, portability, and recyclability of the tape.

"A lot of early video recordings are gone forever, remaining only as memories. And so it was meant to be. Video pioneers knew the images were grainy, the signal unstable. Unlike most art forms, in which permanence is as important as innovation, ephemerality was accepted as inherent to the video medium, almost attractive." - Michael Goldberg

Yet while many works were lost, by the end of the 20th century, formal and informal libraries in Canada’s artist-run media centres had accumulated a large body of video on numerous formats. By the mid-90s it was clear that the Video In Library would need to take on an archival role. The original ˝" open reel tapes were becoming increasingly fragile and had been removed from circulation for almost a decade. There were approximately 1500 ľ" UMATIC tapes that required attention. Through a series of grants, restoration techniques were researched and implemented for prioritized tapes, new shelving for the collection was purchased, and an archivist was hired to initiate a cataloguing project. In 2000 a guide for the Satellite Video Exchange Society fond was published, and in 2002, a preservation plan was devised for the videotape collection. By 2005, new emphasis was placed on the print library which documents the history of international video art and its artists. Early reel to reel tape decks were restored so they could continue to transfer ˝" tape to digital files.

The document and video archive at VIVO Media Arts Centre holds the history of independent video and video art in trust for this and future generations. After three moves and 40 years, the Crista Dahl Media Library and Archive has collected over 5000 video titles and an extensive print and photo reference library.

"Right from the start my gut feeling has been that the archive SVES has is an important Canadian collection, if not an international one. It has been said that video art is the only art form that Canadians have pioneered. That's very significant, and SVES is a part of that history. What's important to me is that the collection is cared for and continues to be accessible to everyone." - Crista Dahl

Sources:
Crista Dahl Media Library & Archive
"Making Video 'In'", Editor Jennifer Abbott, Video In Studios, 2000.
"Anamnesia: Unforgetting", Editor Amy Kazymerchyk, VIVO Media Arts Centre, 2013.

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Caretakers of the Crista Dahl Media Library & Archive
2010
VIVO Media Arts Centre, 1965 Main Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

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Crista Dahl: The quest for permanence
2013
VIVO Media Arts Centre, 1965 Main Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Credits:
Interviewer: Kevin Doherty
Cameraperson: Anna MacDonald
Editor: Kevin Doherty
Transcript: Kevin Doherty

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Emma Hendrix: The importance of the archive for future generations
2013
VIVO Media Arts Centre, 1965 Main Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Credits:
Interviewer: Kevin Doherty, Karen Knights
Cameraperson: Kevin Doherty
Editor: Kevin Doherty
Transcription: Janet Miller

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Paul Wong: The unique value of the Crista Dahl Media Library & Archive
2013
VIVO Media Arts Centre, 1965 Main Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Credits:
Interviewer: Kevin Doherty
Cameraperson: Anna MacDonald
Editor: Kevin Doherty
Transcript: Kevin Doherty

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Archive Projects: "Making Video 'In'" Publication
2000
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Credits:
Cover design: Jacqueline Verkely
Editor: Jennifer Abbott
Essays by: Jennifer Abbott, Sara Diamond, Michael Goldberg, Karen Knights, Nancy Shaw, Paul Wong

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Exhibition: 20 Bold, Brash, Beautiful Years
1 October 1993
Video In, 1965 Main Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

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Crista Dahl: The power of idealism
2013
VIVO Media Arts Centre, 1965 Main Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Credits:
Interviewer: Kevin Doherty
Cameraperson: Anna MacDonald
Editor: Kevin Doherty
Transcript: Kevin Doherty

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Archive Project: "Anamnesia: Unforgetting" Publication
2012
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Credits:
Editor: Amy Kazymerchyk
Texts by Sharon Bradley, Crista Dahl, Amy Kazymerchyk, Donato Mancini, Alex Muir, Cecily Nicholson
Design: The Future

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Anamnesia: Unforgetting, Book Interior
2012

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Emma Hendrix: Memory, history and art
2013
VIVO Media Arts Centre, 1965 Main Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Credits:
Interviewer: Kevin Doherty, Karen Knights
Cameraperson: Kevin Doherty
Editor: Kevin Doherty
Transcription: Janet Miller

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30 Years of Japanese Video Art: screening promotional card
2006
Video In, 1965 Main Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Credits:
Coproduced with the Powell Street Festival Society

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Archive Project: "Vancouver 50" Catalogue
2011
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Credits:
Designer: Naomi MacDougall
Produced by: Sharon Bradley and Alex Muir

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Paul Wong: From the Portapak to the smartphone
2013
VIVO Media Arts Centre, 1965 Main Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Credits:
Interviewer: Kevin Doherty
Cameraperson: Anna MacDonald
Editor: Kevin Doherty
Transcript: Kevin Doherty