Los archivos fotográficos y fototecas en los tiempos de COVID-19

Abstract

This text aims to share a series of reflections on future challenges in the protection and dissemination of photographic cultural assets, under the protection of photographic archives and photo libraries, in the face of disasters and times of pandemics. Substantial tasks such as conservation, dissemination and access to visual information of this type of cultural heritage, one of the most relevant in contemporary Mexico, are essential and a priority. Conservation and dissemination actions are framed by various national and international laws and treaties, so responsibility for collections cannot be ignored or dismissed. Photography protected in public and private repositories must be preserved and disseminated as a visual memory of various historical processes and of the evolution of societies, and its qualities must be recognized as a primary source for research in various areas of knowledge. The visibility of photography as heritage makes its study possible, which is why some public institutions are aware of the heritage value of photography and have understood the need for its rescue, conservation, documentation and public dissemination, even in situations of risk.