Red.es And BNE Select Memnon

Digital transformation experts Red.es and the National Library of Spain (BNE) launched a call for tenders to digitise analogic archives of cassettes and VHS tapes in order to preserve its video and audio files.

Digitalisation specialists Memnon, a Sony company, was selected to safeguard this part of the country's heritage. Libnova collaborated in this project with Memnon.

After years of planning, the BNE and Red.es started the project in 2018 with more than 700,000 articles, which were in danger of being lost. Through the first selection of 11,000 items – including audio-visual material made, composed or written by Spanish people – the library decided to prioritise digitising the archives which best represented the Spanish culture.

To develop the project, Red.es awarded it –as a result of an open call for tenders- to Memnon, a leading provider of digitisation services to restore, preserve and provide access to audiovisual recordings of any format. The library joins other prestigious European organisations, such as the British Library and the National Library of France, in selecting Memnon’s unique, portable plug and play solution, which digitises multiple recordings at the same time while following the necessary conservation standards.

Memnon is part of Sony Intelligent Media Services (IMS) offering a portfolio of open technology and services, which transform traditional media supply chains and allow Sony customers to capture, manage and deliver content while unlocking value at every stage.

Stuart Almond, Head of Intelligent Media Services at Sony Professional Europe, explains: "The work enabled by Memnon in The National Library of Spain, beyond reflecting a commitment to the preservation of European culture, is another example of the Sony ability to develop revolutionary technologies that adapt to the needs of any organisation or institution."

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