zkav.club

Archivist Practice

The Archivist helps keep the Zk Av Club Recording Station archive consistent, searchable, and usable across platforms like Internet Archive and our public metadata repository.

They:

• organize and maintain files
• assign stable identifiers
• create consistent metadata
• ensure recordings are easy to find and reuse over time

The role requires both careful execution and independent judgment. Archivists regularly work with incomplete inputs and bring clarity and structure to them.

For each recording, the Archivist:

1. assigns a stable ID
2. organizes and renames files
3. creates a YAML metadata file
4. applies consistent naming and vocabulary
5. ensures the item is complete and usable

Without structure, recordings are hard to use.

With structure, they become part of a shared, growing body of knowledge.

Working Alongside the Storyteller

The Archivist and Storyteller operate in parallel:

• Archivist → structure and consistency
• Storyteller → narrative and discoverability

Both work on the same archive, in parallel.

File naming + metadata

Whenever possible, we adhere to this format:

zkav_YYYYMMDD_##_event_topic_source_originalfilename

• zkav = fixed prefix for all Zk Av Club archive items
• YYYYMMDD = recording date (ISO format, no dashes)
• ## = recording index for that day (zero-padded: 01, 02, 03…)
• event = event slug (lowercase, no spaces)
• topic = short topic slug for the recording (lowercase, no spaces)
• source = identifier for the recording device (examples: iphone15, bm4k, handycam, zoomh6).
• originalfilename remains to help track the file back to the source if necessary.

Keep components short and filesystem-safe (avoid special characters).

Examples:

• zkav_20251004_10_darkprague_harryhalpin_handicam_C0014.MP4
• zkav_20251121_05_devconnect_proofofvibes_rodecaster1_Recording90.wav

Where to Next

• Read the Archive Model for the full system
• Explore the Archivist Practice FAQ
• Explore the Storyteller role (coming soon)
• See current opportunities and how to get involved

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