About me
Dave Walker serves as the Audiovisual Archivist at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. With over 15 years of experience in audiovisual media conservation, Walker specializes in the conservation, preservation, and digital reformatting of analog audio media, particularly open reel tapes and audio discs.
He actively contributes to national and international efforts to establish best practices for audiovisual preservation and increasing access to preserved recordings. In addition to the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, he is a contributing member of the American Institute for Conservation, the International Association for Sound and Audiovisual Archives, and the Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative. He also serves as a member of the National Recording Preservation Board.
He is currently on the Fulbright Specialist Roster (2021-2025) and recently completed an international music preservation project with the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, sponsored by the US Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia. As an educator, he teaches graduate courses for Museum Studies professionals at the George Washington University.
Based in Washington, DC, Walker is a passionate educator and enjoys playing guitar, exploring museums, and cooking in his free time.
