Learning through doing: building digital preservation skills in Wales
The Learning by doing initiative is rooted in addressing issues arising from digital preservation in a practical way and addressing them collectively. The opportunities presented by the use of platforms such as Teams and Zoom enabled proactive engagement and facilitated connection across Wales. These platforms were used to deliver the Saving the Bits training programme which provided a general introduction to digital preservation principles and practices for those in the cultural, education and public sectors in Wales. Another element of the initiative addressed the specific issue of remote deposit of digital content to the National Library of Wales, which is in the process of refinement. Through working with students at Aberystwyth University in a practical workshop, issues identified which were addressed to improve Library processes. Through interactive engagement across Wales, skills and knowledge were built, underpinned by the resources, community knowledge and training materials which are freely available through the internet
Managing Digital Archives online learning course from ICA
ICA’s “Managing Digital Archives” is a self-paced course, averaging 60 learning study hours, which provides a thorough grounding in digital archives and preservation for a global audience. It uses flexible learning options to support international participants and emphasises approaches to maximise limited resources. The individual sections explore the what and the how of collecting, ingest, preservation, infrastructure, access and stewardship. Extensive presentations, scripts, background documents, special topics, exercises and resources enable learners to develop a portfolio to achieve their organizational and professional objectives. The course encourages learners to join and contribute to the international digital archives and preservation community.
Professional archives and records education for the 21st Century
Aberystwyth University Department of Information Studies launched a completely revised curriculum for its MA Archives and Records Management in September 2020. Over the previous 28 months a team of 3 lectures collaborated to redesign the course from the bottom-up to ensure that core topics incorporate digital record-keeping by default. A key outcome of the revision was repositioning Digital Preservation as a core subject rather than an optional one. The revised curriculum ensures that students qualifying from the Archives and Records Association (ARA) accredited programme are equipped to manage digital material from the start of their careers.