The idea for such an international directory of film archives arose during one of the annual meetings of the International Round Table on Audiovisual Records, a forum which brings together FIAF, FIAT, IASA, ICA and IFLA. The international organizations felt that there is a demand for information worldwide to provide assistance to all categories of users of audio-visual collections. Each NGO nominated one representative for this project who met early 1991 at the FIAF Secretariat. Based on a paper I had prepared for FIAF, the concept for the directory was discussed and decisions taken on the methodology of data gathering. In the course of 1991 a joint questionnaire in English, French or Spanish was sent to the affiliates of the participating NGO's.

Nearly one thousand replies returned and were sampled at the FIAF Secretariat. Nearly no questionnaire was completed correctly. An enormous editorial work was necessary to select the 577 institutions from 97 countries finally included in the publication.

The survey was made possible with the financial assistance from Unesco. The participating NGO's supported the project with enthusiasm, their professional expertise and the infrastructure of their organization? As this volume was published in the frame of the contract FIAF-SAUR, SAUR was very cooperative providing the computer programme and the data inputting. Special thanks are also addressed to the President of the Bundesarchiv, who gave me the opportunity - when still being a staff member - to work partially for this publication. And last but not least: thanks to the Secretariat in Brussels for drafting, mailing of questionnaires and reminders, for translating the replies into English and supervising the data inputting.

The result is in my eyes a first attempt of a World Directory of Moving Image and Sound Archives. It's rather incomplete and the concept of the publication needs in my opinion revision. Its incompleteness results from several factors: only those institutions participating in the survey were included (therefore also several FIAF affiliates are missing!). It was not achieved to involve more partners from outside the NGO's, commercial archives etc. And conceptual clarification is needed: should video/sound study collections at universities, collections of av teaching materials for the blind be subject of such a Directory? Should it be devoted to those institutions only keeping and preserving originals, material of a unique character?

I hope the value of this guidebook for archivists, researchers, film and TV makers, broadcasters justifies to think on a more complete edition, in some years.

Wolfgang Klaue