The DPC is delighted to announce its new Editorial Board for its popular Technology Watch Reports series.  The Editorial Board, which  provides strategic direction to the series and makes sure that each report is focussed on the needs of DPC members,  consists of Neil Beagrie (Series Editor), Janet Delve (University of Portsmouth), Sarah Higgins (Archives and Records Association), Tim Keefe (Trinity College Dublin Library), Andrew McHugh (DCC), Dave Thompson (Wellcome Library) and will be chaired by William Kilbride (DPC)

The DPC established a Technology Watch Report series in 2002 and since then it has been one of the Coalition’s most enduring contributions to the wider digital preservation community. They exist to provide authoritative support and foresight to those engaged with digital preservation or having to tackle digital preservation problems for the first time. These publications support members work forces, they identify disseminate and discuss best practice and they lower the barriers to participation in digital preservation.

Each report analyses a particular topic pertinent to digital preservation and presents an evaluation of workable solutions, a review of potential or emerging solutions and posits solutions that might be appropriate for different contexts. The reports are written by leaders-in-the-field and are peer-reviewed prior to publication. Each report includes a ‘key message’ précis of not more than 50 words and explicitly identifies its target audience.

• For more details of the Editorial Board including it's draft terms of reference, see: http://www.dpconline.org/about/working-groups-and-task-forces/736-technology-watch-editorial-board
• For more details of the Technology Watch Reports Series see: http://www.dpconline.org/advice/technology-watch-reports

The British Library - a DPC Member - is looking to recruit a new member of staff to work on the APARSEN Project. 

This new post will provide the opportunity to play a leading role in developing innovative digital preservation financial models, drawing from experiences in Libraries, Archives, Research Institutions and Commercial partners. As a project officer in APARSEN you will work alongside world-leading experts in the digital preservation and will collect and analyze cost parameters concerning digital assets and construct financially sustainable solutions for their preservation. You will draw on the experience and technologies developed by APARSEN members and join a diverse project team directly influencing a major pan-European initiative.  Full job description and supporting documents can be found on The British Library’s recruitment pages British Library Recruitment.  For informal enquiries please contact Max Wilkinson on 020 7412 7040. Closing date: Thursday 15^th July 2011

The DPC is seeking comments from members on the Draft Oultine of a proposed technology watch report on the Subject of Digital Forensics for Preservation to be written by Jeremy Leighton John of the British Library.  A key requirement of these reports is that they meet the needs of DPC members so all comments are welcome, preferably by 1200 on Friday 1st July 2011.  Updated and finalised outines of our reports on Preserving Email by Chris Prom at the University of Illinois and Preserving Digital Sound and Vision by Richard Wright of the BBC have now been uploaded after earlier consultations

• Click here to view and comment on the Draft Outline of the DPC Technology Watch on Digital Forensics for Preservation. (PDF - login required)
• Click here to find out more about the DPC Technology Watch Reports series

Registration has just opened for the DPC Members' Briefing day on Preserving Email: Directions and Perspectives in London on 29th July.

Email is arguably the most ubiquitous, inexorable and voluminous manifestation of information technology. It is a defining characteristic of our age and a critical element in all manner of communications and transactions. Industry and commerce depend upon email; families and friendships are sustained by email; government and economies rely upon email; communities are created and strengthened by email.  It is sometimes hard to remember how we functioned before the widespread adoption of email in public and private life. But for all the importance of email and the transactions it supports, it is surprisingly absent from much of the digital preservation literature.  Institutions, organizations and individuals have a considerable investment and in many cases statutory requirements to safeguard large collections of email, so there ought to be a strong body of experience and clear workflows to follow.  So why is there so little detailed advice available? 

To some extent email encapsulates many of the core challenges of digital preservation.  It would be simple to preserve if it were not for the infinite variety of attachments that go with it; it would be simple to preserve if we could eliminate all the duplicates and spam; if we could remove all the personal details; if we could resolve the copyright issues; if we could resolve access and security barriers. These and other subtle, complex demands mean that the relatively simple proposition of preserving our collected digital correspondence can be blighted by interminable wrangling over procedure, policy and technology.  Nonetheless the preservation of email creates a readily understood basis to engage with the widest possible audience with digital preservation.  It provides a pervasive environment for innovation and assessment of digital preservation tools and services.  It will be a necessary component to ensure our digital memory is accessible tomorrow.

This DPC briefing day will provide a forum for members to review and debate the latest developments in the preservation of email. Based on commentary and case studies from leaders in the field, participants will be presented with emerging policies, tools and technologies and will be encouraged to propose and debate new directions for research. 

Registration is online at: http://www.dpconline.org/events/details/32-Email?xref=31

As part of its Professional Development Training Series PrestoCentre will be organising a course in "Long-Term Audiovisual Digital Preservation: Strategy, Planning & Tools". To be held in Paris and Bry-sur-Marne, France from 12-16 September 2011. Participants on the course include large audiovisual archives, service providers and technology providers.

More Information and Registration (now open) see: http://training2011.prestocentre.eu Registration is limited to 40 delegates, so delegates are encouraged to register early.

DPC member, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) is looking to recruit a Digital Archivist.  RCAHMS collects, records and interprets information on the architectural, industrial, archaeological and maritime heritage of Scotland. We have been doing this for more than a hundred years, and our archive offers a unique insight into the special nature of Scotland's Places. 

The post of Digital Archivist has particular responsibility for the digital collections, leading the development and implementation of systems and procedures to enable RCAHMS to become a Trusted Digital Repository. This is a permanent appointment.The deadline for applications is 20th June 2011. For more details see: http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/digital-archivist.html

Vilnius University Library is carrying out a survey of training opportunities in digital curation and long-term preservation within Europe and internationally as part of the DigCurV (Digital Curator Vocational Education Europe) project. Vilnius University Library would like to find out about the training opportunities available for digital curators in libraries, archives, museums and cultural heritage sector and would appreciate your help. By completing an online questionnaire:

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/477850/Survey-on-training-opportunities-in-digital-curation and providing information about your training offer, you will help to build a profile of the training opportunities; the subject coverage, approaches and methodologies. The survey will close on June 20th.

For information, the DigCurV project has been funded by the European Commission’s Leonardo Da Vinci programme to build a framework for vocational educational and training for digital curators.  The project, which began on the 1st January 2011, aims to address the availability of training needed by curators in the library, archive, museum and cultural heritage sectors to develop the new skills that are essential for the long-term management of digital collections.

DigCurV aims to build a network of organizations involved in digital curation training and continuing professional development, which you are contributing to by taking part in our survey.  The project is setting out to identify, analyse and profile the existing training opportunities, and will also be carrying out a survey of training needs in the sector to identify the key skills and competences required of digital curators. Our objective is to establish a curriculum framework from which training can be developed in future.  Success will help improve the quality, visibility, and transparency of continuing vocational training in digital curation for cultural heritage professionals.

For more information about the project and how to join the DigCurV stakeholder network please see: http://www.digcur-education.org/ or contact us on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Members' Registration has just opened for the DPC Members' Briefing day on Preserving Email: Directions and Perspectives in London on 29th July.

Email is arguably the most ubiquitous, inexorable and voluminous manifestation of information technology. It is a defining characteristic of our age and a critical element in all manner of communications and transactions. Industry and commerce depend upon email; families and friendships are sustained by email; government and economies rely upon email; communities are created and strengthened by email.  It is sometimes hard to remember how we functioned before the widespread adoption of email in public and private life. But for all the importance of email and the transactions it supports, it is surprisingly absent from much of the digital preservation literature.  Institutions, organizations and individuals have a considerable investment and in many cases statutory requirements to safeguard large collections of email, so there ought to be a strong body of experience and clear workflows to follow.  So why is there so little detailed advice available? 

To some extent email encapsulates many of the core challenges of digital preservation.  It would be simple to preserve if it were not for the infinite variety of attachments that go with it; it would be simple to preserve if we could eliminate all the duplicates and spam; if we could remove all the personal details; if we could resolve the copyright issues; if we could resolve access and security barriers. These and other subtle, complex demands mean that the relatively simple proposition of preserving our collected digital correspondence can be blighted by interminable wrangling over procedure, policy and technology.  Nonetheless the preservation of email creates a readily understood basis to engage with the widest possible audience with digital preservation.  It provides a pervasive environment for innovation and assessment of digital preservation tools and services.  It will be a necessary component to ensure our digital memory is accessible tomorrow.

This DPC briefing day will provide a forum for members to review and debate the latest developments in the preservation of email. Based on commentary and case studies from leaders in the field, participants will be presented with emerging policies, tools and technologies and will be encouraged to propose and debate new directions for research. 

DPC members enjoy priority registration to this event and are invited to register online at: http://www.dpconline.org/events/details/32-Email?xref=31

General registration is now open for the DPC Members' Briefing day on Digital Forensics for Preservation in Oxford on 28th June.

Digital forensics lie at the intersection of many of the core challenges of digital collections management, especially for those collecting institutions that deal in the papers and correspondence of personal and public life.  How do we cope with the growing scale and complexity?  How do forensics relate to more familiar concepts like cataloguing and characterisation? How can we make our workflows more efficient and our collections more manageable? What tools do we need for discovery and what are the limits of reasonable deployment? What advice should we give to depositors and what restrictions might we put on users? 

Register online at: http://www.dpconline.org/events/details/31-Forensics?xref=30

The Digital Preservation Coalition is delighted to announce that Angela Dappert and Sharon McMeekin will be joining the DPC as Special Project Officers.

‘People are often surprised to discover that the DPC achieves so much with such a small staff complement,’ explained Richard Ovenden, Chair of the DPC.  ‘Appointing two new staff means a 100% increase in staff and a radical expansion in the benefits we can deliver to members. It’s a really exciting development for the Coalition.’

‘The special project officers will help DPC members contribute to and participate in two projects funded by the European Commission, the TIMBUS project and the APARSEN Network of Excellence’, explained William Kilbride, Executive Director.  ‘TIMBUS is developing new approaches to embed digital preservation in business processes while APARSEN is working across a large number of partners to reduce fragmentation in digital preservation research.’

Angela Dappert joins the DPC from the British Library where for 5 years she has been requirements manager, project manager and researcher. She has participated in the EC-funded digital preservation projects ‘SCAPE’ and ‘PLANETS’, the development of the British Library’s Digital Library System and has implemented digital preservation actions for the British Library collections.  She has published and contributed to digital preservation research and training and has contributed to standards development. She is a graduate of the Universities of Heidelberg and Texas at Austin.

Sharon McMeekin joins the DPC from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland where she was digital archives curator and digital archivist.  In this role she led the development of a digital repository for a diverse range of geospatial, architectural and archaeological data sets.  She managed a large scale catalogue enhancement project which included a significant training role.  She is a graduate of the University of Glasgow.

Both Sharon and Angela start with the DPC on 13th June. Angela will be based in the DPC office in York and Sharon will work from the DPC office in Glasgow.