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 January 29, 2025.
Learn more about the initiative
Still ImageWorking Group
This group is involved in a cooperative effort to develop common digitization guidelines for still image materials.
Audio-VisualWorking Group
This group works collaboratively on common and sustainable technical guidelines, methods, and practices for digitized and born digital sound recordings and moving images.
The Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative (FADGI) does not review, certify, or endorse commercial products, and does not maintain lists or other information about commercial products that claim FADGI conformance.
- Significant Properties for Digital Video
Updated by Working Group | October 2024
- embARC Open Source Software for Embedded Metadata
Updated by Working Group | September 2024
- Guidelines for Embedded Metadata in WebVTT Files
Approved by Working Group | June 2024
Embedded metadata structure to document provenance, administrative history, and contextual information for WebVTT files which are often used for captions and subtitles to support accessibility.
- OpenDICE and AutoSFR Software
Updated by Working Group | March 27, 2024
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.
- Software Accessibility for Open Source Digital Preservation Applications
Approved by Working Group | March 2024
The FADGI AV Working Group project seeks to provide broadly applicable recommendations on accessibility best practices for open-source software. Deliverables include a final report and recommendations.
- 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.
- 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.
The tools and guidelines linked below are the most widely used FADGI resources. For additional guidelines please click the link above.
The FADGI Audio-Visual Working Group has released a revised version of Significant Properties for Digital Video which simplifies and clarifies the first release from 2019. Updates include a Change Log, real world use cases and adjusting the criteria and definitions for clarity and readability.
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 DPX files as individual files or an entire DPX sequence as well as RDD 48 compliant MXF files, while not impacting the image data. Recent updates include improved accessibility support for table navigation.
All FADGI Guidelines
News & Events
- FADGI updates at the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) Conference, December 2024
- Demonstration of embARC's accessibility features at iPres 2024 Great Preservation Bake-off, September 18, 2024
- FADGI updates at the IASA (International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives) Conference, September 2024
Frequently Requested Guidelines and Tools
- Technical Guidelines for the Still Image Digitization of Cultural Heritage Materials (3rd Edition)
- embARC (Metadata Embedded for Archival Content)
- OpenDICE and AutoSFR
- MXF Application Specification and Sample Files
- Digitizing Motion Picture Film
- Creating and Archiving Born Digital Video
- Significant Properties for Digital Video - 2024 update
- File Format Comparison Projects
- Embedding Metadata in Broadcast WAVE Files
Blog Posts
- FADGI News: Recap of Recent Projects and Publications, June 13, 2024
- FADGI Report on Software Accessibility for Open-Source Digital Preservation Applications, January 16, 2024
- 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: 01/30/2025