About This Initiative
FADGI is a collaborative effort started in 2007 by federal agencies to articulate common sustainable practices and guidelines for digitized and born digital historical, archival and cultural content. Two working groups study issues specific to two major areas, Still Image and Audio-Visual.
Summary chart of FADGI's impact within the Library of Congress and the wider community. Updated March 29, 2023.
Learn more about the initiative

Working Group
This group is involved in a cooperative effort to develop common digitization guidelines for still image materials.

Working Group
This group works collaboratively on common and sustainable technical guidelines, methods, and practices for digitized and born digital sound recordings and moving images.

- Technical Guidelines for the Still Image Digitization of Cultural Heritage Materials (3rd Edition)
Approved by Working Group | May 10, 2023
The FADGI Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Cultural Heritage Materials have been revised by the Still Image working group. These Guidelines represent shared best practices for digitizing still image materials (e.g., textual content, maps, and photographic prints and negatives) followed by FADGI agencies, and is used by cultural heritage institutions worldwide.
- Guidelines for Imaged Audio
New Exploratory Project | 2023
Joint project of the FADGI AV and Still Images Working Groups to define, for the digital preservation community, standard output packages for imaged audio created by non-contact scanning. FADGI will, where possible, map to existing standards and specifications and where gaps exist, FADGI will develop guidelines to fill those gaps.
- Exploring Accessibility for AV Collections Content
Approved by Working Group | Autumn 2022
The FADGI AV Working Group is working on accessibility needs for digital audiovisual collections content acquired through collection development scope and policies. Recent projects include Definitions for Key Accessibility Features for Archival Audiovisual Content and Survey Results: The Current State of Accessibility Features for Audiovisual Collections Content in Five FADGI Institutions.
- Mapping FFV1 to MXF: SMPTE RDD 48 Amendment and Sample Files
Approved by Working Group | Spring, 2022
SMPTE has published RDD 48 MXF Archive and Preservation Format Application Specification – Amendment 1 which provides metadata and registered Universal Labels for the FFV1 encoding in the MXF wrapper. New sample files are also available in both NTSC and PAL.
- OpenDICE and AutoSFR Open Source Software
Updated by Working Group | October 27, 2021
OpenDICE software measures DICE device level imaging target files for conformance with the FADGI imaging guidelines. AutoSFR software measures physical structures in an image file to determine the effective resolution of the image, useful to help determine the appropriate scanning resolution for best results.
- ADCTest open source software for testing audio ADC performance over time
Updated by Working Group | September 2021
ADCTest is a free Windows-based open source software application designed to facilitate performance testing of analog-to-digital converters (ADC) against FADGI’s 2017 Audio Analog-to-Digital Converter Performance Specification and Test Method Guideline (Low Cost). The new version added the option for a built-in signal generator to support users who wish to test the performance of ADCs that are not immediately accessible to them, especially in outsourced digitization.
- embARC open source software for embedded metadata
Updated by Working Group | August 2021
embARC (metadata embedded for archival content) is a free, open source application that enables users to manage (i.e., audit, validate and correct) embedded metadata in Digital Picture Exchange (DPX)files as individual files or an entire DPX sequence as well as RDD 48 compliant Material Exchange Format (MXF) files, while not impacting the image data. GUI versions for Windows and Mac as well as CLI are available for download.
- Updated Guidelines for Embedded Metadata in BWF Files
Approved by Working Group | April 26, 2021
The FADGI Audio-Visual Working Group is pleased to release version 3 of Guidelines for Embedding Metadata in Broadcast WAVE Files with support for use of Associated Data List Chunk to accompany use of Cue Chunk and Cue Points, expanded options for CodingHistory values and more. These updates are reflected in the open source BWF MetaEdit application.
The tools and guidelines linked below are the most widely used FADGI resources. For additional guidelines please click the link above.
All FADGI Guidelines
News & Events
- FADGI updates at the No Time to Wait conference in October 2022
- FADGI updates at the IASA 2021 online conference in September 2021
- FADGI updates at Library of Congress I\V/A\V Informal Audio Visual Summit in September 2020
Frequently Requested Guidelines and Tools
- embARC (Metadata Embedded for Archival Content)
- OpenDICE and AutoSFR
- ADCTest
- MXF Application Specification and Sample Files
- Audio Analog-to-Digital Converter Performance
- Digitizing Motion Picture Film
- Creating and Archiving Born Digital Video
- File Format Comparison Projects
- Embedding Metadata in Broadcast WAVE Files
Blog Posts
- New FADGI Project: Researching Accessibility in Open-Source Digital Preservation Applications, May 30, 2023
- Getting the Band Back Together: Recap of FADGI Audiovisual Working Group Meeting, May 18, 2023
- 3rd Edition of FADGI Still Image Digitization Guidelines Finalized, May 11, 2023
- FADGI's embARC Now Supports FFV1!, October 11, 2022
- FADGI is a Finalist for the Digital Preservation Coalition 20th Anniversary Award, June 23, 2022
- FADGI Publishes Revision to Influential Still Image Digitization Guidelines, June 9, 2022
- New from FADGI: Mapping FFV1 into MXF, June 7, 2022
Last Updated: 08/24/2023