The core of Barbados' media content (audio and video) relating to national memory is housed in the collections of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation and the Barbados Government Information Service. At present, the potential of these collections for national development remains unrealised; much of the material is uncatalogued; access is mainly institutional or non-existent due to fragility or rarity. The collections are also threatened by technological obsolescence as well as chemical and physical degradation. The media of the region have a critical role to play in preserving and disseminating the cultures of the region while promoting cultural diversity and integration in the Caribbean. In recognition of this, Caribbean media are placing increasing emphasis on indigenous programming, the content of which would be drawn from the audiovisual collections of the region. Consequently, this project seeks to train media professional s and workers to preserve and conserve invaluable elements of Barbados' cultural capital and create the level of interconnectivity that would make this information available to the widest possible user base. This is to be achieved at two levels: through the development of indigenous programmes and the creation of the prototype of a national electronic databank of existing image and sound formats that are of national and regional significance. To that end, provision will be made to include the audiovisual collections of other culture-based organisations. In this age of globalisation, it is critical to reaffirm and celebrate our Caribbean cultural identity and preserve it in forms that are technologically compliant with and accessible through the mass media, and to share these cultural treasures in a way that is only achievable through mass media.