On 4-5th May 2011 the EC hosted an invitational event to discuss and consult on future plans for digital preservation in Europe. It sought to look beyond the current Framework Programme and establish priorities for research in digital preservation for the next (FP8). William Kilbride attended on behalf of the DPC though there were various members present in their own right – BL, JISC, DCC, Portsmouth University - there were 64 people present. The action plan for FP8 is progressing rapidly and the first complete draft will be complete within a couple of weeks. Suggestions for priority additions can still be made but suggestions need to be submitted within the next two to four weeks if they are to make the first draft. DPC members are therefore encouraged to review this document and contact WK early if they wish to make proposals or amendments. See section five.

These informal notes are intended to give DPC members an informal briefing. They are not intended as an official record: an official report will be published. DPC thanks Neil Grindley of JISC for his contribution to the document.

Members's briefing notes on 'The Future of the Past' [pdf 276kb - login required]

Getting Started in Digital Preservation - Slides now available!

Slides from all four 'Getting Started in Digital Preservation' events in London on 4th Feb, Glasgow on 28th Feb,Cardiff on 21st March and York on 15th April are now available online.  Feedback from the events has remained positive throughout with participants noting that the presentations were encouraging and accessible, giving them confidence as well as practical soltions to start digital preservation planning in their own institutions.Although the series is now over the slides collectively give a really impressive overview of the state of practical implementation of digital preservation in the UK.  They will remain useful for a while, and not just for participants who attended. 

Portsmouth University joins the Coalition

The Digital Preservation Coalition is delighted to welcome the University of Portsmouth as its latest associate member. 

'The Future Proof Computing Group at the University of Portsmouth has a track record of research and development of digital preservation through initiatives like the KEEP project (Keeping Emulation Environments Portable)' explained Dr David Anderson. 'We're about to start a new project, POCOS, funded by the JISC, on the preservation of complex objects, and have interests in topics like the sustainability of computer games technology, the history of computing, emulation, virtualization and data warehousing.

Dr Janet Delve observed 'We’re delighted to join the DPC as a way of amplifying and facilitating our research, especially for the KEEP project.'

 'This is just one example of the wide range of expertise within the coalition that we’re keen to share.  DPC has an impressively diverse membership: working with them will help ensure the greatest possible impact from our research.'

'Portsmouth is home to one of a small but growing number of centres where the challenges of digital preservation are being turned into advantages - so we're very excited that they've joined us', explained William Kilbride of the DPC.  'It's all too easy for research to be isolated or inward-looking. By joining the Coalition, Portsmouth acquires a large and ready-made community of users and experts in a broad range of institutions eager to test, validate and deploy the solutions that they provide.  The DPC members will undoubtedly benefit from projects like KEEP - but I'm also sure that the project will benefit from engagement with the DPC too.'Richard Ovenden, chair of the DPC welcomed the news too. 

'The core values of the DPC are about mutual support and lasting impact.  This is an attractive proposition at tough times for researchers because of the instant network of users that it brings.  The membership continues to grow which is a credit to the programme of advocacy, events and publications which the DPC manages.  It's also evidence that more and more agencies are seeing the benefits of working together.'

The Directors’ Group is an extended and informal networking event where staff, partners, contractors or allies of full members are invited to describe and discuss current, forthcoming and future digital preservation projects.  It encourages the development of bilateral and multi-lateral relationships among members; helps disseminate good practice; and ensures that the work of the coalition remains tied to the changing needs of the workforce.

Full members are invited to nominate up to three delegates.  Delegates can be drawn from any department, project, partnership or constituent of the Board Member’s institution so long as they are able to contribute to and benefit from an open discussion on digital preservation and cognate issues.  Delegates will be expected to present a brief and discursive summary of current and future work. Following a recommendation at a previous meeting the event will be help under ‘Chatham House Rules’, therefore allowing members to share genuine challenges and present emerging tools and processes without them being reported outside.

An outline programme, details of logistics and delegate registration are online at: http://www.dpconline.org/events/details/17-DG11?xref=17

This years' key note speaker will be Nick Appleyard of the Technology Strategy Board. 

Nick is responsible for the Technology Strategy Board's strategies and programmes relating to digital services and the internet. He graduated in physics from Cambridge University in 1989, and followed a PhD in Birmingham with an academic career spanning superfluid helium and quantum electronic devices.  He joined the new Technology Strategy Board in July 2007 as Lead Technologist for Electronics, Photonics and Electrical Systems, and became Head of the new Digital department in April 2010.

We are living through an explosion in the availability of information, which is profoundly changing how we live our lives and run our businesses.  To stimulate economic growth from the complex landscape of services, the needs of their users, and the digital infrastructure that supports them, the UK needs a consistent vision and a coordinated strategy, so that businesses can work together and learn from each others’ expertise.  The Technology Strategy Board is the UK government’s innovation agency.  Our activities range from Knowledge Transfer Networks, where businesses find information and partners, through to support mechanisms such as Research and Development project funding.  During 2010 we are also investing in a Digital Test Bed for the free use of UK businesses.  This will become a window onto the future of the internet, where new business models and technologies can be tested in front of thousands of real users, building market understanding and investment confidence to the benefit of UK businesses and their customers.  

What's New - Issue 35, April 2011

In this issue:

• What's on, and What's new
• Editorial: Aiming for Obsolescence (William Kilbride, DPC)
• Who's who: Sixty second interview with Gareth Knight, Digital Curation Specialist, King’s College London
• One world: Max Kaiser, Bettina Kann, Sven Schlarb (Austrian National Library); Christoph Becker, (Vienna University of Technology); Hannes Kulovits (Austrian State Archives)
• Featured Project: Kate Fernie (MDR Associates) tells us about the DigiCurV project
• Your view: Commentary, questions and debate from readers

The Datum Project at the University of Northumbria and the Digital Preservation Coalition are delighted to announce that registration for 'Data For Life: Digital Preservation and Health Sciences' is now open - http://www.dpconline.org/events/details/28-data4life?xref=27

Flexible and timely access to information has the potential to transform professional practice and research in health studies and related disciplines, but the promise can only be delivered if we can overcome threats of obsolescence.  A decade of research and development has begun to make available the sorts of robust tools, techniques and services which our generation will need to ensure that our digital memory is accessible tomorrow.  But the capacity to deliver long term access remains focussed in the hands of a small number of specialists.  This skills shortage presents a key strategic challenge to the delivery of fundamental services for medicine, health, wellbeing, and related sectors where research data is highly confidential and may need to be retained for long periods of time. Ethical, legislative and economic imperatives mean that thoughtful but rapid development in robust research data management policies and services will be required over the next decade.  Research data management skills are badly needed so that new entrants into the health and medical professions are prepared for the rapidly changing requirements of the information age. 

This DPC briefing day, held in conjunction with the Datum project at the University of Northumbria and sponsored by JISC, is intended to introduce key concepts of digital preservation to students and information managers working in the health and wellbeing sectors.  It will provide a forum to review and debate the latest development in the preservation of digital qualitative research data in the health field and it will initiate a discussion on how the necessary skills can most effectively be developed. Based on commentary and case studies from leaders in the field, participants will be presented with emerging tools and technologies and will be encouraged to propose and debate the future for these developments.

This event is free but Places are limited and early registration is recommended.

The National Library of Ireland is the latest organisation to join the Digital Preservation Coalition, helping the Library to address the challenges and opportunities associated with long term management of digital collections.

 'The core mission of the National Library of Ireland (NLI) is to collect, preserve, promote and make accessible the documentary and intellectual record of the life of Ireland,' explained Della Murphy, Assistant Keeper at NLI. 'One of our key strategic aims is the development of a digital collections policy with preservation and access infrastructure to match. By putting in place the necessary policy and infrastructure, we will maximise access to our resources, enhance and expand the services we offer, and enable users to work with the Library and Library collections in new and innovative ways.'

 'The National Library of Ireland believes that working with partners in the DPC will vitally inform and support the implementation of best practice in relation to policy and infrastructural development in the area of digital preservation.'

 William Kilbride, Executive Director of the DPC, welcomed the new membership.  'Digital preservation is a daunting challenge for organisations that want to ensure long term value from the collections for which they are responsible.  The problem is bigger than any one agency. Collaboration is the key to efficient and successful deployment of the emerging solutions and services that will make our digital memory accessible tomorrow.  Membership of the DPC gives NLI a ready-made network of peers and colleagues - all of whom share a common challenge. This will expedite their work and mean that others can benefit more immediately from the expertise that they bring.'

 'It's great news that the National Library of Ireland has joined' noted Richard Ovenden, chair of the DPC. 'The coalition is growing quite quickly. NLI is the second agency to join the Coalition this year, taking our membership to thirty seven - the highest it has ever been.  Agencies simply can't afford to work in isolation when faced with a shared challenge. So the opportunities for knowledge transfer, policy development and collaboration that the DPC offers have never been more attractive or necessary.'

Find out about joining the DPC here.

The DPC is pleased to announce that it will be offering five scholarship to attend the Digital Preservation Training Programme, this time in Glasgow, 16-18th May 2011.  The deadline for applications is 1200 on Friday 29th April.  All DPC members are entitled to apply although this is the last opportunity for members of RLUK to benefit from the DPC Leadership Programme. 

See the DPC Leadership Programme for more details including a brief description of the course, eligibility and how to apply

We're pleased to report that the DPC briefing day on Preserving Digital Sound and Vision is now fully booked.  We've retained a couple of places in order that DPC members who may have missed the announcement can still attend. 

If you are a DPC member and missed the registration window, then follow this link:http://www.dpconline.org/events/details/27-SoundAndVision?xref=26; if you're not a member but would like to join in order to attend, then follow this link: http://www.dpconline.org/join-us. 

You can follow the meeting live via the #sound&vision hashtag on twitter, and we'll be publishing a report of the event and also the presentations shortly afterwards. 

What's New - Issue 34, March 2011

In this issue:

• What's on, and What's new
• Editorial: Austerity, Impact and Planning (Martin Donnelly, DCC)
• Who's who: Sixty second interview with Susan Corrigall, National Archives of Scotland
• One world: Peter McKinney, Digital Preservation Policy Analyst, National Library of New Zealand Access
• Your view: Commentary, questions and debate from readers