DPC
Why digital preservation is or isn’t business as usual
There seems to be a lot of chatter around at the moment, and has been for some time, about how digital preservation should be ‘business as usual’. I like the idea; preservation becoming a core part of business activity. What we do every day. The only thing is I think this approach is wrong.
As realities erode: 3d4ever?
My eroding realities
Alternative facts are the cliché du jour but let me pitch a problem that is categorically larger: alternative realities. Not just alternative, but alternative and obsolete realities. I spoke about this at a DPC briefing day at the end of 2016 – which already seems a life time ago. It was a surprisingly hard programme to assemble because there is precious little evidence that those involved in producing 3d data sets for the cultural heritage sector have any capacity – and in many cases no evident concern – to ensure the accessibility of their virtual realities outside of tightly constrained and poorly documented delivery mechanisms. Therefore, in relatively short order and despite much rhetoric to the contrary, interactions degrade, effort is wasted and new kinds of cultural disenfranchisement are engineered. 3d data faces – it already has – an endemic crisis of obsolescence, resource discovery and corporate abandonment.
This blog is a cry for help. I want to be wrong. I want to be corrected and contradicted on the assumption that there must be a better story. Some clever and generous person is going to collate and deploy the evidence to show how the 3d data community has a concern and the capacity to ensure a longer-term viability to their virtual realities. They will gently take the megaphone off me and reassure me that the tremendous opportunities associated with 3d data are being met with a commensurate capability to preserve them.
Digital Preservation News 044
Roughly weekly/monthly news and opinions from the Digital Preservation Coalition’s Head of Research and Practice, Paul Wheatley. Opinions are the opinions of Paul and those featured. Not the DPC. They’re just opinions, ok? Just because the blog has moved to the official DPC website does not mean this isn't just a load of opinions. Back issues are here.
DPC Webinar - 'Preservation Practices of New Media Artists' with Colin Post, UNC
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New media art constitutes a significant vein of contemporary artistic production, with many artists creating culturally significant artworks that critically investigate the meanings and uses of technology in the contemporary moment. Yet countless such works have been lost from the cultural record, with even more rapidly becoming inaccessible.
While there exists a growing body of literature devoted to the preservation of new media artworks in institutional collections, a great many such artworks remain uncollected, and thus without the benefit of the resources and preservation know-how afforded to artworks within major collections.
In this webinar, Colin Post from the University of North Carolina, addresses this lack of research by posing the following questions: How do new media artists conceive of the preservation of their artworks? Do preservation concerns arise in the process of creation? How do preservation challenges manifest in the ongoing maintenance of an artwork?
Cloudy Culture: Preserving digital culture in the cloud
Part 2: Uploading
The National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre, National Galleries of Scotland and the Digital Preservation Coalition are working together on a project called Cloudy Culture to explore the potential of cloud services to help preserve digital culture. This is one of a number of pilots under the larger EUDAT project, funded through Horizon2020.
We’ve already published a friendly introduction to Cloudy Culture and our second report focuses on uploading data. It will describe in detail how the National Library of Scotland is transferring data into a cloud service provided by Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre using iRODS data management software (https://irods.org). The use of a web API uploader is also provided by EPCC and compared with iRODS. We want to know how easily, quickly and reliably we can transfer cultural data into the cloud. Is there anything that would dissuade us from using the cloud as a way to help us preserve access to the digital culture the Library is responsible for safeguarding? Can other organisations apply what we’ve learned to the content they’re responsible for?
'Personal Digital Preservation: Photographs and Video' by Richard Wright
‘The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) Technology Watch Report Personal Digital Archiving provides an overall approach and methodology for putting one's “digital house” in order. My purpose in this case note is to add the gory detail about digital photos and video, giving a one-person case study. I say exactly what software and processes I use (and which ones I've considered but rejected, or used and discarded), and try to be frank about successes and failures.’
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UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals joins the Digital Preservation Coalition.
Added on 1 February 2017
The UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism) became the Digital Preservation Coalition’s newest Full member in January this year.
The Mechanism is mandated to manage the archives of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), as well as its own archives, which consist of both physical and digital records.
Arkivum joins the DPC’s New Commercial Supporter Programme
Added on 1 February 2017
Just one week after the Digital Preservation Coalition launched its new Commercial Supporter programme, Arkivum have announced their commitment to creating long-term meaningful relationships between DPC members and commercial solution providers by becoming the latest organisation to join the scheme.
The new Commercial Supporter Programme is good news for vendors, who already contribute much needed perspectives into the DPC’s discussions on an ad hoc basis; and for members by enabling much greater insight into their needs and requirements. The DPC’s Board recognises the need for an environment where solution providers and members can collaborate and learn from each other, whilst protecting the independence gained from a widely-understood vendor neutrality.
DPC/NCDD Webinar: 'Essentials 4 Data Support' with Marjan Grootveld and Ellen Verbakel, Research Data NL
Members please login to watch the webinar recording
Introduction
Following the most exciting and hotly contested Digital Preservation Awards to date, those people, projects and organisations selected as finalists have been gathered together once more to tell DPC members more about their (in some cases award winning) work!
The webinars will provide a deeper dive into each of these projects, exploring the latest thinking, research, practice and innovation and helping members assess the potential for application within their own organisations. Collectively the series will ensure that DPC members have a comprehensive overview of the digital preservation landscape and the state of the art.
Essentials 4 Data Support
The Essentials 4 Data Support course contributes to the professionalisation of 'data supporters': people who (want to) support researchers in storing, managing, archiving and sharing their research data. 'Essentials' refers to the goal of enabling a data supporter to take the first steps towards supporting researchers in Research Data Management, by providing essential data knowledge and skills in digital preservation of research data. All content is available in Dutch and English for self-study (online-only), but in the recommended face-to-face course networking, expert lectures and assignments contribute to an effective learning experience. So far over 170 support staff have been trained.
Digital Preservation News 043
Roughly weekly/monthly news and opinions from the Digital Preservation Coalition’s Head of Research and Practice, Paul Wheatley. Opinions are the opinions of Paul and those featured. Not the DPC. They’re just opinions, ok? Just because the blog has moved to the official DPC website does not mean this isn't just a load of opinions. Back issues are here.
Welcome to a new era. Post-truth. Alternative facts. The 2017 that the pretty awful 2016 appears to have just been a gentle warm up for. And I suspect it's going to get pretty hot. As Terry Pratchett once said - there is light at the end of the tunnel, but it's a flamethrower. But fear not dear reader. Although the DPC has a brand spanking new website to which Digital Preservation News has moved, the usual pedantry, gentle snark and (hopefully) useful digipres news is not going anywhere.
In uncertain times, some stability and permanence is reassuring. In a post-truth era, it's absolutely vital. So, my digipres friends, we've got our work cut out. Let's go to it...