"Urgente/Emergente. Por un futuro de los archivos fotográficos" establishes a connection between historical research and prospective interventions in specific contexts. Authors María José Burgos and Denise Labraga provide an overview of the early formal investigations into the conservation of photographic images and the emergence of institutions dedicated to this specialty on an international level. They then focus on the characteristics of this process in Argentina. Drawing from documentary sources and the testimonies of key figures, the book reconstructs some of the most significant initiatives related to the rescue and valorization of our country's photographic heritage.

From the establishment of the Graphic Archive of the Nation, the emergence of the Antorchas Foundation, and the first Congresses on the History of Photography, to the conservation programs at National Universities and the creation of the Historical Archive of Argentine Radio and Television, this book highlights the recurring problems and political complexities that have led, through action or inaction, to the systematic loss of our visual heritage. The authors complement this journey with a toolbox that enables the prompt safeguarding of photographic heritage.

In this regard, the second part of the book presents a localized plan for the conservation of photographs, designed based on an assessment of the main difficulties characterizing conservation in the local context and the material and professional resources currently available.

Through a reflection on photographic archives in Argentina and their process of valorization as cultural assets, Urgente/Emergente proposes strategies for action to build new future alternatives, setting an unprecedented precedent on this subject matter.