New ‘Preserving Computer-Aided Design (CAD)’ Technology Watch Report released to DPC members

The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) is delighted to offer its members a preview of the latest in its series of topical DPC Technology Watch Reports, Preserving Computer-Aided Design (CAD). Written by Alex Ball, and published in association with Jisc’s Digital Curation Centre (DCC) and Charles Beagrie Ltd, this report provides a comprehensive overview of the development of CAD, the threat caused by its own innovative application and its vendors’ race to continuously upgrade; often leaving users with inaccessible versions and models.

A specialist in digital curation at the DCC and UKOLN at the University of Bath, Alex writes ‘CAD is an area of constant innovation…, resulting in CAD systems that are ephemeral and largely incompatible with each other.’ The report provides valuable insights into the key standards, techniques and technologies developed in an attempt to slow the seemingly inevitable obsolescence associated with native CAD formats.

Having outlined some of the critical issues surrounding CAD preservation, as well as some of the potential solutions, Alex reminds us that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ answer to the problem. He urges the preservation community to ‘consider an advocacy programme which raises awareness of the importance of standard formats and high quality format migration,’ with a view to providing greater interoperability and better support for CAD users.

The report is primarily aimed at those responsible for archives and repositories with CAD content, but will also appeal to creators of CAD content who want to make their models more amenable to preservation.

‘I’m delighted to welcome this report to the series,’ commented William Kilbride of the DPC. ‘Although CAD plans and drawings are limited to specialist domains they are typically complex to maintain and of very high value. Moreover, because they tend to relate to buildings, places or products with long lifecycles their preservation is a pressing issue. Alex’s contribution to the series is eagerly anticipated.’

The DPC Technology Watch Reports identify, delineate, monitor and address topics that have a major bearing on ensuring our collected digital memory will be available tomorrow. They provide an advanced introduction in order to support those charged with ensuring a robust digital memory and they are of general interest to a wide and international audience with interests in computing, information management, collections management and technology.

The reports are commissioned after consultation among DPC members about shared priorities and challenges; they are commissioned from experts; and they are thoroughly scrutinized by peers before being released. The authors are asked to provide reports that are informed, current, concise and balanced; that lower the barriers to participation in digital preservation; and that they are of wide utility. The reports are a distinctive and lasting contribution to the dissemination of good practice in digital preservation.

• The report is available as a preview to DPC members
• If you’re not yet a member of the DPC you can get a preview by joining us: http://www.dpconline.org/join-us
• It will be released to the public in the second quarter of 2013

Vacancies at Tate: Trainees in Time-Based Media

Trainee Time-Based Media Conservator
Trainee Time-Based Media and AV Technician
Postion type: Trainee, Full time, Up to 18 months
Closing Date 24th April 2013
Salary: 16320 GBP per annum
Location: London

Tate is offering two paid traineeships in the department of Time-based Media Conservation as part of the Skills for the Future programme, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The deadline for application is Friday 20th April, 2013, extende to 24th April. For more information see: http://www.tate.org.uk/about/projects/skills-future-training-programme/skills-future-training-programme-vacancies-2013

The Digital Preservation Coalition and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland invite you to join them at a workshop to explore the preservation of 3d laser scan data: Edinburgh 1st May 2013 

• http://www.dpconline.org/events/details/58-3d-laser-scanning?xref=63

Current best practice guidance for the long term preservation of 3D laser scan data, in particular the required metadata is found to be onerous by data creators. This workshop will bring together leading practitioners from the archaeological community, alongside leading data archivists and software suppliers in the UK and Ireland to work towards agreeing a new metadata standard to facilitate preservation. This event will allow for communication between archivists, creators and purveyors of software and hardware for laser scanning, as well as equipment manufacturers.  The aim is to ensure that the export of metadata is much simpler and more convenient for users.

Vacancy at King's College London: Project Manager (PERICLES Project)

Project Manager (PERICLES Project)
Position Type: Full Time, Fixed Contract to 31st Jan 2017
Closing Date: 16th April 2013
Salary: Grade 6, currently £31,331 per annum, plus £2,323 per annum London Allowance
Location: London (KCL Strand Campus)

Established in 2008, the Centre for e-Research (CeRch) is a research centre located in the Department of Digital Humanities (DDH). The Centre works collaboratively with researchers, research teams and groups, and as partners in research projects across King’s College London. It also works in partnership with other UK HE, with European institutions, and internationally with HE library and research institutes.

The department seeks a project manager for the EU project PERICLES (“Promoting and Enhancing Reuse of Information throughout the Content Lifecycle taking account of Evolving Semantics”), reporting to the project co-ordinator on operational aspects of the role. The post holder will provide project management support to and will closely work together with the project coordinator; monitor progress against work plan objectives, budget management, liaison with the project scientific members; facilitation of expert meetings, and links with academics and other partners, advisors, and peer reviewers contributing to the projects. Hence, experience or knowledge of topics relevant to the scientific focus of the project are desirable, but not essential. In addition, the post involves drafting, editing and contributing to (public) communications related to the projects.Other duties will include specialist advice in relation to the EU FP7 (Seventh Framework Programme), writing reports and providing quantitative and statistical analysis, maintaining the content of the PERICLES website, managing financial overview records and managing reporting to the EU.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 16 April 2013.

For more information see: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/pertra/vacancy/external/pers_detail.php?jobindex=12991

What's New - Issue 53, March 2013

In this issue:

• What's On - Forthcoming events from April 2013 onwards
• Who's Hiring - Job vacancies from DPC members and associated institutions
• What's New - New reports and initiatives since the last issue
• What's What - Capital, revenue and the great Post-it note crisis of 2006, William Kilbride, DPC
• Who's Who - 60 Second Interview with Natalie Harrower, Digital Repository of Ireland
• Featured Project - The DEDICATE project - Digital Preservation for Architecture, Ruggero Lancia, HATII
• Your View? - Comments and views from readers

What's New is a joint publication of the DPC and DCC

The Digital Preservation Coalition is pleased to offer three fully funded scholarships to attend the Digital Preservation Training Programme at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, 20th–22nd May 2013.

The Digital Preservation Training Programme (DPTP) is designed for all those working in institutional information management who are grappling with fundamental issues of digital preservation. It provides the skills and knowledge necessary for institutions to combine organisational and technological perspectives and devise an appropriate response to the challenges that digital preservation needs present. DPTP is operated and organised by the University of London Computer Centre with contributions from invited experts. It is supported by the Digital Preservation Coalition which originally helped to establish the course in 2005.

Attendance at the Digital Preservation TrainingProgramme costs £650 per person (excluding VAT). However, the Digital Preservation Coalition is pleased to offer three full scholarships which meet the costs of the course.  Applications are welcomed from DPC members and associates. The scholarship covers all tuition fees, course materials, access to online resources, lunch and refreshments.  Travel, accommodation and subsistence are not funded.This is the tenth time the DPC has offered scholarships to attend the course.  Successful applicants will be asked to help promote the course and the work of the coalition. The DPC has supported a total of forty six scholarships to attend this course.

Applications are due by 1200 on 3rd May. 

For more details see: http://www.dpconline.org/training/leadership-programme

The EC has launched a new project to help organizations invest confidently in digital curation and preservation.

4C - ‘the Collaboration to Clarify the Costs of Curation’ – brings together 13 agencies in 7 different countries so that organizations can approach their investment in data curation and preservation with greater certainty and with greater clarity about what they’ll get back in return.

‘It can be difficult to make a convincing case for investment in digital curation for two reasons’ explained Neil Grindley project co-ordinator from Jisc in the UK. ‘Firstly the costs of curation are currently hard to predict; and secondly the short term benefits of curation are hard to define because it implicitly addresses long-term challenges. So, even when public policy or regulation requires it, practitioners have the unenviable task of persuading executives to invest in new services whilst being uncertain about their potential impact and their actual cost. This is particularly hard when they have to compete with immediate priorities that bring instant and obvious returns.’

‘4C will address both concerns and provide practical guidance that will help.’

‘The Digital Preservation Coalition is delighted to be associated with this new initiative’, explained William Kilbride of the DPC. ‘We are a diverse organization with representatives from a wide range of sectors and institutions, but all of them are concerned with costs and benefits. DPC members will certainly benefit from the outcomes of the project. More importantly, because we are so diverse, DPC provides a great test bed for 4C to try its ideas. So DPC members will be getting invited to contribute directly to the project, and the project team will be updating DPC members throughout the project.’

DPC and the British Library Preservation Advisory Centre are pleased to report that, with the help of the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), we’ve been able to add another date to the popular ‘Getting Started in Digital Preservation’ Roadshow. We’ll be stopping at PRONI's offices in in Belfast on 10th July.

http://www.dpconline.org/events/details/56-getting-started-in-digital-preservation?xref=64

Vacancy at Warwick University: Digital Preservation Officer

Digital Preservation Officer
Position type: full time, fixed term (18 months)
Closing Date: 02 April 2013
Salary: £27,854 – £36,298 pa
Location: Warwick, UK

You will support the introduction and development of digital preservation within the Library and Modern Records Centre. You will also be required to develop and implement policies, procedures and guidance, including the deployment of appropriate standards, for the effective curation, preservation and future migration of digitised and born-digital collections.

You will have experience of digital preservation theory and best practice and will possess knowledge of appropriate technical standards, digital preservation tools and repositories. An understanding of current and future developments in digital archives is essential.

The closing date/time for applications is midnight (British time) at the end of Tuesday 02 April 2013.Further details, and application, are available at https://secure.admin.warwick.ac.uk/webjobs/jobs/management/job15268.html

The 'Getting Started in Digital Preservation' workshop in Glasgow on 10th April is now fully booked, as is the workshop in London on 13th May.  A few places are still available at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth on 6th June. 

• Register here for 'Getting Started in Digital Preservation', National Library of Wales, 6th June