20yrs: 2004 The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) Slide Set June
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This is the third of 12 conference presentations I’ve selected to mark 20 years in Digital Preservation. The remainder will be published at monthly intervals over 2015. The DPC was founded during 2001-2002 commencing with a summit in January 2001, and culminating with its formal incorporation as a not-for-profit company with 7 members and a public launch at the House of Commons in February 2002. It has since grown to more than fifty members. Ably steered by a succession of staff and board members, it has exceeded the hopes of its founding members and is very worthy of inclusion in this top 12. This slide set is a nice visual snapshot of the DPC at a key time in its development. The slide set consists of four presentations dating from June 2004 (but with origins in earlier versions from January 2001) that have been combined here: the History of the DPC, Rationale for the DPC, Structure of the DPC, and Programme of Activities. They formed a set of DPC member resources (in the then DPC colours and Powerpoint template) dating from June 2004. However their origins are much earlier than that –elements date from the key first Digital Preservation Summit for the DPC in January 2001 with subsequent updates. There is a background briefing and a report of proceedings of that summit available on the DPC Website.
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20yrs: 2004 The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) Slide Set June
- 1. 1 Presentations on the DPC (Jan 2001-June 2004) Neil Beagrie History of the DPC
- 2. • March 1999: A JISC/BL workshop recommended establishing a coordinating mechanism to tackle digital preservation • June 2000: JISC Preservation Focus post established. Its main priority was to establish the DPC • January 2001: First Summit meeting held, first civic meeting with 10 full members • February 2002: Launch of the DPC Timeline
- 3. History of the DPC • Aim of Coalition to develop a UK digital preservation agenda within an international context • Growing amounts of born-digital materials that require urgent preservation attention are being created in all sectors of UK • At the time of the launch, digital preservation was far from being on the national agenda
- 4. • July 2002: DPC established as a not-for-profit Company Limited by Guarantee • May 2003: New post of Digital Preservation Co-ordinator was established, first full-time employee • March 2004: 27 members of the DPC, comprising a wide cross- sectoral range Timeline
- 5. • Ten founding members: BL, CCLRC, CURL, JISC, OCLC, NAS, PRO (now TNA), Resource (now MLA), ULCC, Wellcome Trust • Chair: Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive, British Library Founding Members
- 6. 6 Presentations on the DPC (Jan 2001-June 2004) Neil Beagrie Rationale for the DPC
- 7. Urgent need to tackle digital preservation at a national level • 30% yearly increase in production of digital materials • Almost 5 ‘Exabytes’ of digital information was created in 2002 1 Exabyte = 1 million terabytes (1018 bytes) Digitised content of Library of Congress = 136 terabytes • 92% of this is stored on digital tape • Surface of World Wide Web contains 170 Terabytes of information This doesn’t include the ‘Deep web’, which is estimated to be 500 times larger than the surface web Reference: Lyman, Peter and Hal R. Varian, "How Much Information", 2003 URL: www.sims.berkeley.edu/research/projects/how-much-info-2003/ Rationale for the DPC
- 8. So….. • Reliance on digital resources is rapidly increasing, and there are increased expectations that digital data will be available in the long term • We need to ensure that some of these resources are available in 10 or in some cases,100 years time • We need to tackle the problems of digital preservation at a national level before it is too late Rationale for the DPC
- 9. But….. • Digital materials are all dependent on hardware or software in order to be read. These may not exist in the future • For example, thousands of software programmes available in the 1990s are now unavailable • Media on which data is stored are also vulnerable e.g. magnetic or optical media • Speed of change in technology doesn’t guarantee access to these hardware and software Rationale for the DPC
- 10. Vulnerable materials at risk Technological obsolescence Legislation: FOI etc Long-term Cost for Organisations Loss of Cultural and Corporate Memory Admissibility of materials/IPRModernising Govt. Digital Preservation Rationale for the DPC
- 11. • Digital records created daily Could be simple text based records Or complex multiple object files (multimedia files etc) and dynamic databases • No analogue original if they are lost, and these records are business critical • Long term access imperative for certain records • Outcome: Potential loss of corporate memory • Other problems: Conflict with laws such as Freedom of Information and Data Protection Acts Legal Admissibility: Files can be easily tampered with or altered while stored Scenario: The business
- 12. • Museum utilising digital technology to create digital surrogates of rare cultural material to provide alternative access for visitors • Huge investment for public organisation • Outcome: Potential loss of digital surrogate • Outcome: Potential loss of investment • Can resources spent on creating the digital surrogate be justified if long- term access cannot be guaranteed ? Scenario: Memory organisation
- 13. What does the DPC do? • Raises the profile of Digital Preservation • Runs advocacy campaign which targets stakeholders: Owners and Creators of digital resources; Funding bodies • Provides examples of Good Practice • Highlights where gaps and priorities for action and responsibility are • Acts as catalyst for Action Disseminating information; maintaining current awareness Rationale for the DPC
- 14. Examples of DPC’s activities and initiatives: • The Coalition offers digital preservation training, advocacy and outreach • A Public Relations programme has been established to raise the profile of digital preservation in the media • Surveys of member organisations are carried out to assess digital preservation needs • DPC holds regular forums to provide training and advice • ‘What’s New in Digital Preservation’ and Technology Watch reports are among some of the publications of the DPC Rationale for the DPC
- 15. ‘ The nature of digital technology dictates that it is not feasible simply to hand over stewardship of the resource at some point in the future, without having managed it sufficiently...’ Preservation management of Digital Material Handbook, 2000 Life-Cycle Management
- 16. The DPC advocates that organisations take a ‘Life-Cycle’ approach • Long-term preservation and management of digital data relies on the collaboration of data creators, information professionals, managers, and users • It is crucial that all creators are involved at least in the early stages of the digital ‘life-cycle’ of a file; this involvement needs to permeate all levels of an organisation, from senior management to operational staff • This active management throughout will greatly assist long-term preservation (e.g. choice of suitable file format at an early stage) Life-Cycle Management
- 17. The DPC can provide advocacy on how to do this • Only a relatively small number of organisations such as the National Archives or the British Library will take on the long-term responsibility for preservation • Before the preservation stage, the Digital Life-Cycle includes the following: Creation Selection of file format Adding Metadata to object Access Providing Discovery, Delivery Appraisal Choosing what to retain Preservation Storage, Preservation activities Life-Cycle Management
- 18. Detailed Preservation Management Appraisal Delivery Addition of Metadata Creation of file Selection File format All Organisations Preservation specialists Information Specialists Life-cycle responsibilities
- 19. 19 Presentations on the DPC (Jan 2001-June 2004) Neil Beagrie Structure of the DPC
- 20. 20 Levels of Membership of the DPC: • Membership is open to all collective or non-profit organisations (e.g. Cultural heritage, educational, research, government organisations), for a yearly subscription fee • Other organisations (e.g. commercial ones) can participate in alliances and sponsorship Structure of the DPC
- 21. 21 Three levels of participation: 1. Full members: representative sits on the Coalition Board and all staff and members can participate in DPC activities 2. Associate members: representative sits on the Advisory Council and all staff and members can participate in DPC activities 3. Allied Organisations: collaborate with the Coalition on specific activities. They can include commercial organisations who work to promote dialogue with industry towards developing IT standards Allied Individuals: individuals who are invited to share their expertise with the advisory council or other activities Structure of the DPC
- 22. 22 • Sponsorship: all organisations can offer sponsorship for specific projects or events • Criteria for membership: Full membership is offered to organisations who can demonstrate a strategic contribution to the DPC and a national/international role in Digital Preservation. Associate membership is offered to not-for-profit organisations who commit to active participation in the Coalition • Cross-sectoral involvement is strongly encouraged and this is already evident from the already varied membership • The DPC structure is being reviewed in 2004/2005 Structure of the DPC
- 23. 23 Publishing/Media Education Archives Libraries Science & Technology Government Research & policy Museums Data Services Cross-Sectoral Membership Members of the DPC
- 24. 24 “ The aim of the Digital Preservation Coalition is to secure the preservation of digital resources in the UK and to work with others internationally to secure our global digital memory and knowledge base ” The DPC also has a number of Goals and Principles: Mission of the DPC
- 25. 25 • To disseminate, produce and provide information on current research, and build expertise amongst its members with the aim of accelerating their learning and generally widen the pool of professionals skilled in digital preservation • To institute a concerted and co-ordinated effort to get digital preservation on the agenda of key stakeholders, in terms that they will understand and find persuasive • To seek appropriate and adequate funding to secure the nation's investment in digital resources Goals of the DPC
- 26. 26 • To provide a common forum for the development and co-ordination of digital preservation strategies in the UK, and placing them within an international context • To promote and develop services, technology, and standards for digital preservation • To forge strategic alliances with relevant agencies nationally and internationally, and with industry and research organisations, to address shared challenges in digital preservation • To attract funding to the Coalition to support achievement of its goals and programmes Goals of the DPC
- 27. 27 The activities and members of the Coalition will operate by the following principles: • Openness: The Coalition and its members commit to promoting and disseminating information and sharing outcomes • Collaboration: Digital preservation has become so significant a phenomenon (in scope, complexity, and investment), that no single organisation can address all the challenges alone • Collective benefit: Core Coalition activities supported by resources from its membership must be of common interest and benefit to them • Vendor neutrality: The goals of the Coalition are generic and will be vendor neutral. It will support the development of standards and generic approaches to digital preservation Principles of the DPC
- 28. 28 • British Library • Consortium of University Research Libraries (CURL) • Online Computer Library Center • National Library of Scotland • National Library of Wales • National Electronic Library for Health • Research Libraries Group • University of York library • Trinity College Library Dublin • Wellcome Trust Library BACK Members: Libraries
- 29. 29 • Arts and Humanities Data Service • UK Data Archive , Essex University • University of London Computer Centre BACK Members: Data Services
- 30. 30 • Joint Information Systems Committee of the Higher and Further Education Funding Councils (JISC) • Ministry of Defence • Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils • The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries BACK Members: Government Research & Policy
- 31. 31 • The National Archives • National Archives of Scotland • Public Record Office Northern Ireland BACK Members: Archives
- 32. 32 • Open University Members: Education BACK
- 33. 33 • National History Museum Members: Museums BACK
- 34. 34 • e-Science Core Programme • Central Information Technology Unit for Northern Ireland Members: Science & Technology BACK
- 35. 35 • Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers • BBC Information & Archives • Publishers Association Members: Publishing & Media BACK
- 36. 36 Presentations on the DPC (Jan 2001-June 2004) Neil Beagrie Programme of Activities
- 37. 37 • The DPC is committed to building digital preservation infrastructure in both the UK and the global environment • DPC carries out its functions via six Work Packages • A Programme of Activities is also in place which maintains a global perspective and attracts a world-wide audience • International collaboration is important to the DPC: Memorandum of Understanding with National Library of Australia (NLA) means that the UK has an input to PADI, and ‘What’s New in Digital Preservation’ is prepared jointly between the DCC and NLA Potential for future collaboration with Europe (6th Framework) and USA: Cornell University, and Library of Congress • Collaboration through Memorandum of Understanding and/or working groups Programme of Activities
- 38. 38 1. Promoting Digital Preservation 2. Acting to increase funding 3. Fostering collaboration and forging strategic alliances 4. Producing, providing, and disseminating information 5. Promoting and developing services, technology, standards and training 6. Continuing to develop the Coalition’s activities Six Work Packages
- 39. 39 1. Promoting Digital Preservation Efforts aimed at ensuring digital preservation is on the agenda of key stakeholders. This involves an advocacy and PR campaign, press articles, conference papers, the UK Needs Assessment, etc. 2. Acting to increase funding Ensuring the nation’s investment in preservation, e.g. seeking funding to complete UK needs assessment; co-ordinating information about DPC projects; JISC is funding a report on digital preservation training 2. Fostering collaboration and forging strategic alliances Six Work Packages
- 40. 40 4. Producing, providing, and disseminating information Building expertise in digital preservation e.g. commissioning Technology Watch Reports and holding DPC forums. Developing the DPC website and producing quarterly reports of ‘What’s New in Digital Preservation’ 5. Promoting and developing services, technology, standards and training E.g. Initiating training workshops, so far held in Edinburgh, London and Belfast, and producing Technology Watch Reports, developing intensive digital preservation programme 6. Continuing to develop the Coalition’s activities Recruiting membership and attracting resources to support DPC’s goals, monthly reports to members via Discussion lists Six Work Packages
- 41. 41 DPC Forums • Three held each year which focus on different themes • Provide a key method for disseminating information on current activities and keeping them informed of developments in the field • Also provides excellent networking opportunities • Themes have included: Web Archiving; Open Source Software; Digital Curation; Preservation Metadata; Cost/business models • Evaluation feedback so far has been very positive Activities – Regular events
- 42. 42 • Training Workshops for DPC members: Three have already taken place in Edinburgh, London and Belfast • DPC Website: The site has received 1.3 million hits since it was established. A private members area is also available which holds information for members, technology reports, shared documents. Most popular is the online version of the Preservation Management Handbook • List Serve: The popular JISCmail Digital Preservation list has grown to more than 1000 members. A private list for members has also been created. Activities – Regular events
- 43. 43 ‘What’s New in Digital Preservation?’ • A quarterly report prepared by the National Library of Australia’s PADI and the DPC (UKOLN compiles this for the DPC) • PADI, set up in 1996, is a comprehensive subject gateway to international digital preservation resources • The reports lists a summary of international preservation activities • Information compiled from the PADI gateway and mailing lists Activities – Regular events
- 44. 44 Advocacy Campaign • Little awareness of digital preservation dilemma outside of the information community – only one reference to digital preservation in 2002, before the PR campaign was underway. • DPC embarked on a professional PR and Media Campaign to raise the profile of digital preservation in both national and specialist media • PR consultant hired to assist with 2002 DPC launch • Launch at House of Commons February 2002 Activities – Regular events
- 45. 45 Advocacy Campaign • Twenty-five articles have appeared in the national media in the first year of the DPC’s operation including a strong presence in the Guardian’s Online supplement Now, selected projects are focused on and promoted in the media Activities – Regular events
- 46. 46 Preservation management of Digital Material Handbook • Developed by Neil Beagrie and Maggie Jones in 2000 and is constantly updated Available free at: www.dpconline.org • Online version to be developed further • Used as a basis for workshops and tutorials, and may be used for more intensive training programmes • Offers a practical step-by-step guide for those involved in all stages of digital preservation Activities – UK Initiatives
- 47. 47 Digital Preservation Award: • This award, the first of its kind, is worth £5,000 and recognises achievement in the digital preservation field • Sponsored by the DPC, it is aimed at encouraging creative and practical approaches to the preservation of ‘born-digital’ materials • The award reflects significant progress both in the work of the DPC and institutions who are carrying out important digital preservation work • The 2004 winner will be announced at an awards event on 22nd June 2004 Activities – Initiatives
- 48. 48 UK Needs Assessment Exercise: • One of the goals of the DPC is to “get digital preservation on the agenda of key stakeholders in terms that they will find persuasive and understand” • A survey of DPC members was carried out to provide more detailed information on the current state of play in digital preservation • Aim is to highlight priorities for action over the next 18 months and to carry out targeted approaches Activities – Initiatives
- 49. 49 Results of UK Needs Assessment Exercise: • The survey led to a workshop for DPC members, which in turn led to a number of recommendations for the DPC to take forward • An implementation plan included 24 tasks for the DPC to follow up, among which were: Seeking funding for a survey of regional organisations (identified as high priority at the workshops) Facilitating planning and development of intensive training programme • These exercises also help to further support the case for increased investment in national digital preservation infrastructure Activities – Initiatives
- 50. 50 Technology Watch Reports: • These are user-friendly reports the DPC has commissioned experts to write. Authors avoid complicated jargon-filled language so that reports are accessible to all • Reports focus on emerging preservation standards, technical formats, and developments in tools which are critical in assisting digital preservation activities • Reports available on the DPC website: ‘Introduction to OAIS’ – Brian Lavoie/OCLC ‘Institutional Repositories’ – Paul Wheatley Activities – Initiatives
- 51. 51 JISC Digital Preservation and Records Management: • JISC played a key role in establishing the DPC • DPC and JISC are separate entities but JISC was one of the founding members of the DPC • DPC is cross-sectoral, whereas JISC deals solely with Higher and Further Education sectors • JISC have a Digital Preservation and Electronic Records Management programme Related UK Initiatives
- 52. 52 • Digital Curation Centre (DCC) is jointly funded by JISC and the e-Science Core Programme for an initial three-year period • Consortium of Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow UKOLN, and CCLRC • It will undertake research and develop tools to support effective digital curation, developing standards and certification. It will also pilot preservation services within the H.E. sector • The DCC is not a data centre but set of central services, established to assist existing distributed digital data centres and institutional preservation services Digital Curation Centre
- 53. 53 • Funding: via Membership • c.£130,000 p/a • Seeking funding to secure investment in preservation • Emphasis on cross-sectoral involvement • www.dpconline.org • Funding: E-Science & JISC • £1.3 million p/a • Aimed at needs of HE/FE and Research Councils • To develop repository of tools and file formats • Registry of metadata standards • www.dcc.ac.uk DPC DCC Differences
- 54. 54 • Both will provide Advocacy and Outreach • Training and Advice will also be offered Links between DPC & DCC
Hinweis der Redaktion
- During a review of progress since the first Warwick Workshop, held in 1995, one recommendation from the 1999 Workshop was to establish a coordinating body with representation from different sectors to promote awareness of digital preservation issues. It also proposed the establishment of a new position in the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) to focus on digital preservation, as it was becoming increasingly clear that this could not be done in addition to other responsibilities.
- The DPC was officially set up in Feb 2002. The main aim was to tackle the growing problem of digital preservation in the UK by raising awareness of the dilemma throughout the UK – and it should be emphasised that this was aimed at cross-sectoral involvement, not solely the HE sectors.
- Although it is very complex to measure the amount of information that is created each year, this study has translated the available digital formats into one standard: a terabyte, and calculated that 5 exabytes of information were produced in 2002 (this includes a minimal amount for paper and film, the rest is digital). A good comparison for measuring this is to think that if someone were to digitise the entire content of the Library of Congress it would only amount to 136 terabytes. They estimate that this figure has been growing at roughly 30% each year. The study measures the ‘surface web’, but this doesn’t take into account the ‘deep web’ which is hard to quantify, as this covers information non-static pages and file formats that search engines cannot index such as: dynamic databases, confidential or password controlled information, non-textual files such as multimedia, virtual libraries, online catalogues, and pages created ‘on the fly’. As well as stored information, the study also looked at Information Flows – this affects digital preservation, as the internet holds much data which will need to be retained. The figure of 170 tbs of information is triple that of 2000.
- The first point emphasises that while decay of the medium is a threat, the larger threat is that digital files are created using software and hardware that soon become defunct or unavailable. Digital data exists as a series of bits and bytes, and without software the information cannot be accessed. A digital object is also heavily dependent on the hardware environment it was created in, meaning that this ‘environment’ also needs to be kept, or at the very least, documented.
- This slide highlights some of the key problems we face with digital preservation: 1 – Vulnerable materials are at risk even now. We are unable to read files from even 5 years ago – all digital materials are now vulnerable. Potentially valuable materials have already been lost. 2 – Technological obsolescence is the largest problem that we face – both of file formats and operating systems. Digital objects will be obsolete if we do not retain the software or platform on which to read them. The speed of change in these formats means that we are increasingly at risk of owning technically obsolete files. 3 – Legislation is a large problem facing organisations. To some degree, this can be seen as a positive catalyst to spur organisations to take responsibility for the long-term durability of materials – For example, the Freedom of Information Act, 2000 is bearing down on govt. institutions to make their information publicly available in the long-term. 4 – The ‘Modernising Government’ wishes to see all the Govt.’s key services and activities delivered on line by 2005. This is a large project which means that processes to ensure long term preservation and management of digital materials have to be in place. 5 – Long-term costs are a big incentive for organisations to tackle digital preservation – the more that institutions invest now to tackle the problems, the more that they will save in the long run. The cost of re-creating a resource may be significantly higher than preserving it. It is recognised however that costs to maintain digital preservation are indeed high. Tackling the change in technology is perhaps the highest cost 6 – Loss of cultural and corporate memory – future generations may well see this period as the ‘ Digital Dark Ages’ if we don’t ensure that they will be able to read our historical digital memory. 7 – Legal admissibility - It is commonly recognised that digital files are much easier to alter than paper records. Digital objects need to be stored securely so that their legal admissibility can be proved. Organisations will be affected by the Data Protection Act which insists that digital records are stored correctly, safely and are what they purport to be. IPR issues are also at stake here – content can be copied very easily – and migration to new forms may not be allowed under some licenses.
- These next 2 slides were written with a view that some people might like to see what problems an institution might face, for example, a government organisation or a commercial company might face the above problems if they produce digital records on a daily basis, especially if they are obliged to retain these records for legal reasons.
- Many DPC members work in cultural organisations many of which might have invested heavily in digitisation programmes. Access to the digital surrogate is often the main driver for these projects, but organisations have to take into consideration other factors early on before they embark on digitisation, such as to how they will provide this access in the long-term. Decisions have to be taken early on as to the care and management of files (e.g. what file format should be chosen, where they should be stored, whose responsibility is it to preserve them) and, in as much as possible, organisations should build in digital preservation practices early on in the digitisation process.
- The DPC also wants to attract those who are in a position to fund digital preservation activities, such as government departments. Another issue which should be tackled is that of responsibility: there is not yet a system in place to ensure who exactly is taking responsibility for digital archiving – should libraries share the burden of preserving the nation’s online culture, as it has done in the past with analogue materials? Or does it fall on the shoulders of the data creators?
- The DPC also wants to attract those who are in a position to fund digital preservation activities, such as government departments. Another issue which should be tackled is that of responsibility: there is not yet a system in place to ensure who exactly is taking responsibility for digital archiving – should libraries share the burden of preserving the nation’s online culture, as it has done in the past with analogue materials? Or does it fall on the shoulders of the data creators?
- The above quote highlights how important it is that all stakeholders are involved in the management of the resource albeit at different stages. Digital material is different to that of analogue, and digital files require more attention from the very moment that they are created
- Life-cycle decisions are important; for example, if one chooses a suitable file format at an early stage, this will certainly affect long term preservation – but these are decisions that people other than preservation experts have to take. Need to emphasise here that Preservation decisions taken will affect the organisation, and affect staff who don’t necessarily work in information management sections. Senior managers should recognise this and build it into their institutional policies. Standards should be carefully considered and institutions should invest in staff to document creation of objects (metadata)
- It is perhaps suitable that members are aware of these broad records management terms to see what is involved in the life-cycle, and how the actual specialised digital preservation is at the end of the process. The Creation stage is key, as is Appraisal, where an organisation decides what to keep for the long-term. If this is known beforehand at the Creation stage of course, then this could affect file-format choice.
- This diagram is helpful in explaining that at the choice and creation stage of a digital object, all members of an organisation are involved and play an important role. The addition of metadata can be carried out by these same members or any information specialists that work within the organisation. The red line signifies the point at which preservation specialists can take over – whether they be within the organisation or an outside agency. It is not incumbent on general staff members to deal with preservation – but it is important to emphasise that they play a key role at the start of the life-cycle (e.g. choosing suitable file formats depending on how long they want to keep the materials for – if long-term, then non-proprietary file formats are most suitable etc). It is thus not the case that everyone has to decide on detailed preservation strategies (emulation, migration etc), and not everyone has to have detailed preservation plans and policies. Everyone will however need to look after at least the materials they create, at least for the short to medium term (i.e. 5-10 years).
- The DPC’s priority is its members – their differing needs and requirements are always top of the Coalition’s agenda. The DPCs primary source of funding is via annual membership fees. The fee for a full member is: 10,000 pa, and 2,000 for an associate member. As of June 2004 there will be 10 full members and 17 associated members.
- Click on links to view detailed list of members by sector. Membership is not just based in UK. The DPC strongly encourages links with overseas organisations, through formal and informal mechanisms.
- The main priority in terms of practical work is in the UK (for example, the training programme will have a specifically UK emphasis), but the DPC also recognises the need to collaborate internationally.
- Examples of the above: The DPC disseminates information such as ‘What’s New in Digital Preservation’, holds Forums, Training workshops/programmes The DPC promotes digital preservation via a PR consultancy programme, the UK Needs Assessment Programme and the Digital Preservation Award. The initial launch of the DPC in 2002 was a high-profile event. 3) The DPC seeks funding via the UK Needs Assessment Programme.
- Examples of the above: To provide a common forum, the DPC holds Forums, Working Groups and establishes Task Forces. Developing services includes creating training programmes and authoring the Digital Preservation Handbook Memorandums of Understanding are encouraged along with forging alliances with overseas members. The newly created Digital Curation Centre will also help in addressing the challenges of digital preservation The DPC bids for funds for the UK Needs Assessment, and JISC is currenly raising money for a report on digital preservation training on behalf of the DPC.
- Examples of the above: Openness: Sharing information from Scenarios of data loss and case studies used in the DPC training workshops. Collaboration: UK Web Archiving consortium; File format registry at the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales in France. Collective Benefit: DPC Forums and ‘What’s New in Digital Preservation’
- PADI stands for Preserving Access to Digital Information, the National Library of Australia’s gateway to digital preservation resources. Although the DPC has a U.K focus, international collaboration is very important and the DPC is committed to maintaining and developing contacts.
- These six work packages are wide-ranging and are designed to support the overall aim of the DPC, which is to secure the preservation of digital resources in the U.K and to work with others internationally to secure our global digital memory and knowledge base.
- E.g. Memoranda of Understanding with relevant agencies and forging links overseas via membership of task forces and working groups. The DPC currently has MOU with the National Library of Australia and NDIIPP. The DPC also provides focal point for collaboration, e.g. the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales seeking feedback on criteria for evaluating file formats. Collaboration with Cornell on developing a training programme based on their workshop has also been very valuable.
- These forums are open to members and non-members of the DPC. Members are entitled to a free place. Organisers set great store from any member feedback, and are currently addressing the feedback from the forum held at the National Archives. The June forum is set to address digital preservation in a global context, and the DPC is planning a future forum with CURL.
- It is important to stress that it is hard for individual members to keep abreast of activities in the field, so this quarterly report is valuable as it succinctly summarises these activities for the benefit of often very busy members.
- The DPC is keen to move away from general awareness raising to a more targeted approach within the digital preservation arena i.e. specific projects and areas of development.
- The UK Needs Assessment will be a key way of achieving increased interest and activity in digital preservation over the next year. The first stage of the assessment was to survey all DPC members. This produced alot of information that will be used to assist in presenting the case for increased investment in digital preservation.
- Increased training is also recognised as a big priority – a national in-depth training programme is another goal of the DPC.
- There is often confusion about the roles of the DPC and JISC as JISC played such a key role in the establishment of the DPC. JISC was one of ten founding members of the DPC and agreed to provide staff support to form the DPC until a permanent staff member was employed. Because of this connection, the first registered office for the DPC was also JISC.
- The overriding purpose of the DCC is to support curation and continuing access to data held in national repositories. The term ‘curation’, in the DCC’s definition, includes the active management and appraisal of data during its life-cycle. The DCC is not a digital repository but will provide essential support services and tools to those who are. The DCC wishes to promote the positive interplay between research, development, and services.
- There are a number of differences between the two organisations that are worth highlighting. The DPC is a membership organisation and depends largely on memebrship subscriptions to fund its work programme. It is a cross-sectoral organisation and has a broad remit to progress the development of a digital preservation agenda in the U.K, and forging key strategic partnerships outside the U.K. The DCC has been allocated funding from JISC and eSCP over an initial period of three years. During this time they will undertake a specific range of tasks targeted at a fairly specific audience (though benefits should accrue to a much wider base).
- As well as differences, there are also obvious similarities between the two and areas where we expect particularly fruitful collaboration is likely to be in outreach and advocacy and training and advice.