About the conference:
The National Library of Norway hosted the first Norwegian Sound Archives Conference in Mo i Rana in 1993. The Rana division of the National Library had been established 4 years earlier, due to the new legal deposit act which also encompassed sound recordings and other audiovisual media. However, it is equally as important to preserve historic recordings. Therefore a working committee was appointed to prepare a preservation plan for Norwegian sound recordings. The committee also acted as secretariat for the conferences in 1994, 1996 and 1997:
Per Dahl (Norwegian Institute of Recorded Sound, Stavanger)
Ivar Roger Hansen (National Library of Norway, Rana division)
Trond Valberg (National Library of Norway, Rana division)
Laila Mowinckel (University of Oslo, National Music Collection)
Inger Kielland (The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK, Oslo)
In 1995, Arts Council Norway granted NOK 250.000 to the report “Preservation plan for Norwegian sound recordings”. This publication was delivered to the Arts Council two years later.
Another outcome of the conference was the establishment of Rockheim, The National Museum of Popular Music. The idea of a separate archive and information centre for pop and rock was a main topic for discussion at the Bergen conference in 2000. A working group was established consisting of Trond Bjørknes (Norwegian Rock Foundation), Aslak Oppebøen (Music Norway), Helge Gaarder (Concerts Norway), Willy B, Svein Bjørge and Marit Hamre (The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation). While the finished report from the working group did not lead to immediately results, it did commence the process towards a proposition to the parliament, and in August 2010 Rockheim opened its doors in Trondheim to the public.
Even though the conference never has gained official status or defined ownership, it has served as a meeting place that in various ways has made its mark. It may also have been of importance that Arts Council Norway and the Ministry of Culture has been represented at a number of meetings. We hope and believe that contact between various sound archives, libraries and museums has been strengthened by this forum, and that it has led to greater focus and information on the preservation of Norwegian sound recordings.
The conference for Norwegian sound archives is open to the public and private institutions, the music business, private collectors and all others who share our interest in sound recordings. The statutes are to be approved by the conference at every meeting. The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK will be hosting the 13th Norwegian Sound Archives Conference in 2016.