The Digital Preservation Coalition is delighted to welcome the Information Services of the University of Edinburgh at the as its newest member.

"The University of Edinburgh is a blend of an historic institution that has significant collections of diverse materials and a high-performing research intensive university'' explained John Scally, director of Library and Collections .  "These present us with a changing array of digital preservation requirements - from the digitisation of physical collections to the influx of new digital data in volumes previously not seen, often with unknown preservation expectations. We have recently included digital preservation as a significant strategic theme in our forward plans and are joining the DPC to assist us in the framing of a plan to address this important area."

Vacancy at Yale University Library: Digital Preservation Manager

Digital Preservation Manager
Position Type: Full time, Regular
Salary: not disclosed (Librarian 1-5 (Grade 23-29))
Closing Date: For immediate consideration

Reporting to the Director of Preservation, the Digital Preservation Manager (DPM) will develop a plan to ensure effective acquisition, description, preservation, security of and provision of access to all Yale Library digital components that must be preserved indefinitely. While reporting to the Director of Preservation, it is expected the DPM will work closely with and coordinate digital policies and procedures with Library and University IT and with Library departments/units that have born digital collection material, including but not limited to commercially produced e-resources, and significant digital surrogates of analog material.

The Librarian 1 is the beginning rank and is expected to demonstrate excellence in meeting the position responsibilities, as defined by the job description and annual goals.

• Begin to fulfill the criteria for service to the library, university, and/or community.
• Begin to fulfill the criteria for professional contributions.
• For a complete description of the department, please see the department URL.

Position Responsibilities:

• Researches, develops, documents, and implements a digital preservation program building out of the new Hydra infrastructure taking on a key role to ensure preservation of all Library digital collections of enduring value:
• Reviews existing Library practices and analyzes needs and establishes policies and best practices for the long-term protection and access to digital materials of all types, both created by or acquired by the Library taking into consideration Yale’s continuing participation in LOCKSS, CLOCKSS, and Portico; and
• Works with Library IT and University ITS in the development of a Trusted Digital Repository (TDR) for Library digital collections.
• Advises Library staff and develops guidelines for acquisition and long-term preservation of born digital materials, including the coordination of long-term preservation strategies for commercial e-resources.
• Works closely and collaboratively with cataloging staff, archivists, curators, collection managers, Library IT, and text and image specialists to ensure consistent procedures and guidelines and to integrate digital preservation policy requirements into broader organizational policies and procedures.
• Works with Library IT and University ITS to develop an overall migration strategy that ensures materials in standard and non-standard or obsolete digital formats are migrated so as to minimize introduction of generational loss or compromising of authenticity.
• Prepares digital preservation project proposal guidelines, including specifications for vendor services that support digital preservation as well as templates for Request for Proposals (RFPs) and vendor contracts.
• Educates Library staff in the essentials of the Library digital preservation program through workshops, web sites, and handbooks, etc.
• Creates and maintains a complex network of professional relationships inside the Library, the University, and throughout the digital and library professions, in order to increase the capability of the Library system to preserve its digital collections.
• Develops and maintains disaster recovery planning and policy document for digital materials in coordination with the Library IT and University ITS departments.

Required Education & Experience:
Master’s degree in Library Science from an American Library Association accredited Library school. In selected instances, a post-graduate degree in a related discipline may be required or substituted for an MLS. Appointment to this rank is limited to two years at which time it is expected that the individual will develop necessary requirements to meet expectations of performance at the Librarian 2 level.

For more details use the STARS reference #20229BR online at http://www.yale.edu/hronline/careers/application/external/index.html

The British Library Preservation Advisory Centre and the Digital Preservation Coalition are delighted to invite you to join them at one of three events which will equip collection managers, archivists, librarians and conservators with the skills necessary for  ‘getting started in digital preservation’.

• 10th April, Adam Smith Building, University of Glasgow, G12
• 13th May, Foyle Centre, British Library, London, NW1
• 6th June, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, SY23

Our generation has invested as never before in digital resources and we've done so because of the opportunity they bring. Digital collections have grown in volume, complexity and importance to the point that our children are baffled by the inefficiencies of the analogue age. Pervasive, fluid and vital: digital data is a defining feature of our age. Industry, commerce, government, law, research, health, social care, education, the creative industries, the heritage sector and private life depend on digital materials to satisfy ubiquitous information needs and expectations. But digital objects are fragile: at risk of loss, corruption or obsolescence, not to mention unlawful alteration or theft. Digital preservation – the series of managed activities necessary to ensure that digital materials remain accessible beyond the limits of obsolescence - is an issue which all organisations, particularly in the knowledge sector, will need to address sooner or later.  Collection managers need digital preservation skills to ensure access to their growing digital collections, but training in these new skills can be hard to acquire. 

The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) and nestor, the German competence centre in long-term archiving, are delighted to announce a new alliance which allows them to share resources and enables their members to work together for the preservation of digital objects.

‘Nestor is a coalition of institutions in Germany, facilitated by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, with the goal of encouraging knowledge exchange and co-operation in of digital preservation,’ explained Sabine Schrimpf of nestor.. ‘Our work is not restricted to the national level. The partners maintain close links with corresponding initiatives in other countries and are actively involved in European and international initiatives and projects.  We’ve always understood that collaboration is important for digital preservation, and because it is an international challenge it makes sense to work with partners around the world.  We have a lot in common with DPC and we recognise that we can be more effective when we work together.’

A report and collated evaluation from the DPC 'Collaborative Approaches to Managing File Formats: A Day of Action' in London on 28th January is now available online for DPC members (registration required).  Additional materials have also been published:

• DPC report and evaluation by Jimmy Hall (University of York) (login required)
• Slides from the presentations
• Blog post about the event by Dave Clipsham (The National Archives)
• Blog Post about the event by Jenny Mitcham (University of York)
• Blog post about the event by Matthew Herring (University of York)

DPC members are invited to a briefing which will introduce and review recent developments with the PDF / A standard, with particular emphasis on PDF/A version 3 published in October 2012. the meeting will take place in Leeds on 13th March.

Places are strictly limited and should be booked in advance.  Register online at: http://www.dpconline.org/events 

The Digital Preservation Coalition is delighted to welcome the Digital Repository of Ireland as its newest member.

"The Digital Repository of Ireland is building an interactive and trusted national digital repository," explained Dr. Sandra Collins, Director of the DRI. "The repository will feature social and cultural data held by Irish institutions, from both contemporary and historical sources. We are working to raise awareness of the need for digital preservation and the benefits of open access, while respecting and acknowledging ownership, copyright, intellectual property rights, privacy and confidentiality."

"Joining the DPC means we can strengthen our relationships with others working in the field, work together in advocacy and awareness-raising, and participate in training and projects that help to build capacity in our sector."

DPC members are invited to attend a series of 'mashup' and 'hack-a-thon' events being organized through the Jisc-funded SPRUCE project. 

• Leeds 11-12^th March (focussing on the issue of characterisation)
• Leeds 30^th April - 2^nd May
• London, 2- 4^th July

This unusual format has been extremely popular so it will return: but these are the last dates in the current series.

For details including how to register have a look at: http://wiki.opf-labs.org/display/SPR/SPRUCE+Events

Two Vacancies at St Andrews University: Research Computing Advisor and Applications Developer

Research Computing Advisor
Position Type: Full Time
Closing Date:  1 March 2013
Salary: £30,424 - £36,298 per annum
Location: St Andrews

IT Services is looking for a highly motivated individual with a strong interest in e-Research to join the Research Computing Team as Research Computing Advisor. The Team currently consists of two staff and several volunteers. It forms part of the Service Delivery Group within IT Services. Central to the role of this post are advising academic staff on how they can use technology to achieve their research and teaching goals, assisting in the preparation of applications for research funding, and helping the Team with the delivery of services related to the electronic publication of research outcomes and research data management. 

You will be educated to degree-level in a relevant subject and will have experience of using computers to assist research. Knowledge of sustainability issues related to the creation of digital resources and an overview of research data management issues are also essential.

You will also have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Problem solving and analytical skills are crucial as the role requires the translation of academic concepts and workflows into technical solutions. Although the role is not mainly technical, web authoring and design skills and familiarity with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) would be an advantage.

Applications Developer
Position Type: Full Time
Closing Date:  1 March 2013
Salary: £30,424 - £36,298 per annum

IT Services is looking for a highly motivated individual with a strong interest in e-Research to join the Research Computing Team as Applications Developer (Research Computing). The Team currently consists of two staff and several volunteers. It forms part of the Service Delivery Group within IT Services. The development of technical solutions to meet the needs of research projects within the Faculty of Arts is central to this role.

The successful candidate will possess a degree or equivalent in Computer Science or in another relevant subject with a significant IT component. Experience in designing, developing and testing software using a range of technologies and programming languages is essential. The role also requires a through and methodical approach and the ability to communicate technical information to a range of technical and non-technical audiences.

Preferably the successful candidate will have experience in developing e-Research solutions and will have worked in a research context within UK Higher Education. Knowledge of technical standards like TEI, RDF and OWL, the W3C Linked Data standard; and of relevant metadata standards such as TEI header, VRA Core 4, Dublin Core, among others is an advantage, as is an understanding of the role of open source software and open standards in e-Research.

Informal queries can be directed to Birgit Plietzsch, Research Computing Team Leader (email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , phone: 01334 462315) For more information about either post and to apply see: https://www.vacancies.st-andrews.ac.uk/

Vacancy / Secondment Opportunity at the DPC

Position Type: Full time, 12months fixed term
Salary: 31,948 to 39,257 GBP
Closing Date: 1200 15/02/2013
Location: Glasgow or York

The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) seeks to recruit an experienced and capable member of staff to work closely with the Executive Director of the Coalition in a communications role. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a high-profile and wide-ranging role. The post has two functions: to design and deliver a range of communications and information-provision tasks in support of the DPC strategic plan; and to deliver the Coalition’s commitments to a new international research project ‘4C’. Because the DPC’s role in the 4C project is primarily concerned with communications, these functions are complementary and have been combined into a single post. Recruitment will be to the DPC offices in Glasgow or York and is available immediately for 12 months.

You will work internationally with the world’s leading authorities in digital preservation, helping to communicate first class research, connecting leaders and professionals from different sectors and disciplines, and helping to influence public policy. You will have the opportunity to develop an exceptional international portfolio of professional contacts and you will gain experience in the operation of EC-funded research ahead of the commencement of the 80bn Euro investment in the Horizon 2020 programme.
You will have strong communication skills with experience of new media, but with enough knowledge of digital preservation – or with a proven capacity to learn quickly – in order that you can support and engage others with the outcomes of cutting edge research.

DPC welcomes proposals from its members about secondments of existing staff.

For more details and to apply see the attached job description and person specification.