Our documentary heritage represents humanity’s ideas, imagination, innovation and cultural expressions – it is the memory of the world. We must act to preserve this heritage, and also help ensure it is made accessible to all people to enjoy, learn from, and share.

The UNESCO Recommendation concerning the preservation of, and access to, documentary heritage including in digital form is a great starting point. However, we recognise that uptake and implementation of this Recommendation is challenging and needs to be strengthened.

Introducing the 2015 UNESCO Recommendation Checklist

This tool breaks the recommendation down line-by-line. It helps you map areas where your country’s government and institutions have made considerable progress, and where more work is needed.

This checklist is not intended to lead to comparison between countries. Results will not be shared publicly.  It was created to help members assess the different policies and practices of their governments and institutions and identify where more support is needed.

How it Works

Go through the checklist  and answer the best you can. You might want to form a group, go through the checklist individually, and then compare answers.

Upon completing the questions, you will receive an evaluation of implementation level, with suggestions on how to move forward. This can lead to a discussion on next steps for areas that could use improvement.

You can also choose to download the Checklist here: 2015 Recommendation Checklist [doc]

Your Feedback Matters

This is a beta version of this tool, and we’re looking to make improvements. Your feedback is very welcome!

Please contact: claire.mcguire@ifla.org with any comments or questions.