DPC Reading Club - Critical Vocabulary (Emulation)

Check your local time for the event here.

This is part of the DPC Reading Club series focusing on selected chapters from Digital Preservation: A Critical Vocabulary. The publication critically interrogates a selection of the digital preservation terms that we commonly use. With 15 chapters to choose from, the challenge was narrowing it down for discussion in DPC Reading Club! The publication is currently under open review and comments are welcome.

Our August Reading Club session will discussing the chapter on Emulation by Dragan Espenschied in a time zone suitable for Australasia and Asia-Pacific. In this chapter, the author explores the benefits that computer emulation can offer for digital preservation and how an emulator can make software performance independent of the availability of particular computers or software vendors' ongoing support of a particular system. It also explores the preservation problems that arises as digital artifacts are now ‘highly integrated into the environments they originate from’ so it is often difficult to differentiate between an object and its surroundings. The author also considers the place of emulation in a social and economic environment where software is no longer a ‘thing’ and has become a brand or service. So please read the article and come along and join us for an interesting discussion.

We will also be joined by Dr Cynde Moya, Director of the Digital Heritage Lab in the Centre for Transformative Media Technologies at Swinburne University to discuss exciting developments with the Aus EaaSI emulation project.

Espenschied, D (2024). Emulation. Digital Preservation: A Critical Vocabulary. Retrieved from https://digital-preservation-a-critical-vocabulary.pubpub.org/pub/cqo43abe/release/1

When reading the article, have a think about the following questions which we will discuss together:

• What did you learn from the article? Was it an interesting read?

• Was there anything that surprised you in the article …or was there perhaps something that you disagreed with?

• Do you think you will do anything differently as a result of reading this article - does it change your practices or thinking in any way?

• Is there anything we should do as a community or the DPC could help with?

Any other observations or discussion points also welcome!

More information about Reading Club (and a reading list so you can catch up on anything you've missed) can be found here.

Registration

This will be a small and informal event for DPC Members only and places are limited. Sign up now to secure your place! We only ask that you have done the reading that has been set before the event and bring along your thoughts and observations to share.

Places for DPC members will be restricted to five places for full members and one place for associates on a first come, first served basis. If you find you are no longer able to attend, please let us know in advance so we can free up your space to those on the waiting list.

DPC Members, please log in to register.

If you are having any issues registering, please contact eleanor.oleary@dpconline.org 

DPC Inclusion & Diversity Policy

The DPC Community is guided by the values set out in our Strategic Plan and aims to be respectful, welcoming, inclusive and transparent. We encourage diversity in all its forms and are committed to being accessible to everyone who wishes to engage with the topic of digital preservation, whilst remaining technology and vendor neutral. We ask all those who are part of this community to be positive, accepting, and sensitive to the needs and feelings of others in alignment with our DPC Inclusion & Diversity Policy.