ASRA 2025 Conference

Reflections on “Deadline 2025”

The Past, Present, and Future’

Sydney, Gadigal Country and online

30-31 October 2025

In 2015, the National Film & Sound Archive report ‘Deadline 2025: Collections at Risk’ issued an urgent call to action: to digitise and preserve at-risk audio recordings on magnetic tape before deterioration and obsolescence rendered them irretrievable. This was echoed by the UNESCO/IASA ‘Magnetic Tape Alert Project’ report.  

Now that 2025 is here, where do we stand? What lessons have been learned? What stories can we share? And most importantly, what comes next?  

The Venue

We are most grateful to our conference partner the SAE University College for providing us with access to their amazing Sydney Campus as conference venue.

Call for Papers

Submission Deadline 31 July 2025

This two-day conference invites sound recording archivists, historians, researchers, industry and collecting institutions to reflect on the impact of Deadline 2025. We seek presentations, case studies, and panel discussions that explore:  

  • Success Stories & Lessons Learned – How has the Deadline 2025 initiative influenced preservation efforts? What challenges were overcome?  

  • The State of Sound Archives in 2025 – What progress has been made in digitising at-risk collections? What remains to be done?  

  • Technological & Ethical Considerations – How have evolving technologies shaped preservation strategies? What ethical dilemmas arise in prioritising and making audio archives accessible?  

  • Community Impact & Access – How have digitisation efforts affected researchers, artists, communities and industry? What new uses have emerged for digitised sound archives?  

  • What’s Next? – Now that 2025 has arrived, how do we move forward? What policies, collaborations, and innovations will define the next phase of audio preservation?  

  

We welcome proposals for:  

  • Conventional Papers & Presentations 

  • Discussion Panels & Roundtables 

  • Case Studies & Project Reports 

 

Expressions of Interest 

Expressions of Interest are sought from presenters, panel or session chairs and sponsors. Individual presentations are normally 20 minutes duration in a 30-minute window to allow for introductions and questions etc. Proposals for panels or themed sessions of up to 90 minutes will be considered.  

Proposals including a brief description of the topic and a little bit about yourself should be received by the close of business 31 July 2025. 

For expressions of interest or further information please contact us

Find information on past conferences click here.