Conference Proposal

Conference Proposals

RBMS 2013 Workshop ACCEPTED

Title: From Theory to Action: A Pragmatic Approach to Digital Preservation Tools & Strategies Sponsorship: none at this time Presenters: Lynne M. Thomas, Curator, Rare Books and Special Collections, Northern Illinois University (lmthomas@niu.edu, 815-753-0255, Rare Books and Special Collections, Founders Memorial Library 402, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115). Aaisha Haykal, University Archivist, Chicago State University (ahaykal@csu.edu, 773-995-3843 Chicago State University Library, 9501 South King Drive, Chicago, IL 60628-1598)

This full-day workshop was created as a result of an IMLS-funded study (Digital POWRR, http://digitalpowrr.niu.edu) on identifying practical digital preservation solutions for small- and mid-sized libraries. Practitioners from small and mid-sized institutions possessing an introductory knowledge of digital preservation issues, such as those outlined in the Library of Congress's Digital Preservation Outreach & Education Curriculum (http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/education/curriculum.html), and with responsibility for digital objects at their institution are our target audience.

We will not be addressing the “why” of digital preservation; rather, we are preparing for the “how.”

Outcomes: Workshop participants will walk away with:

1) A high-level understanding at the types of digital preservation tools and services available and how their functionalities map to the digital preservation lifecycle. 2) Additional experience with specific tools, found to work well for practitioners coming from institutions with fewer resources. 3) A Demonstration of how the processes described in the OCLC report “Walk this Way” actually work using selected tools to demystify the processes. 4) Hands on experience with certain tools, during all breaks, break-out sessions, etc. on 2-3 provided workstations, with a workshop leader on hand to answer questions and provide guidance. 5) A chance to identify the key stakeholders (academic administrators, content creators, business administrators, information management professionals, and IT administrators) within an institution that should be involved in their planning process, how to best approach them, and possible strategies for increasing their level of awareness. 6) An opportunity to create a timeline and plan of action for establishing communication with key stakeholders. I look forward to any feedback you might have on this proposal.

MAC 2013 Workshop ACCEPTED

Title: From Theory to Action: A Pragmatic Approach to Digital Preservation Tools & Strategies

Abstract: This workshop was created as a result of an IMLS-funded study on identifying practical digital preservation solutions for small- and mid-sized libraries: Digital POWRR (Preserving digital Objects With Restricted Resources; http://digitalpowrr.niu.edu). Attendees will receive instruction in a variety of digital preservation tools and services and will create strategies for building institutional awareness around the need for a digital preservation program using pre-made, adaptable communications plans. Workstations will be provided for participants to receive hands on experience with selected tools. Resources for further tool explorations, sample digital preservation policies, and other supporting material will be provided.

The purpose of this workshop is to provide attendees with a level of comfort with the tools demonstrated and to come away with a plan of action for engaging others at their host institution.

Intended Audience: Practitioners from small and mid-sized institutions possessing an introductory knowledge of digital preservation issues, such as those outlined in the Library of Congress's Digital Preservation Outreach & Education Curriculum (http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/education/curriculum.html), and with a responsibility for digital objects at their institution. We will not be addressing the “why” of digital preservation; rather, we are preparing for the “how.”

SAA 2013 ACCEPTED

Proposal submitted for SAA 2013 Annual Meeting (Rec'd Lone Arranger roundtable endorsement October 5, 2012; accepted by SAA program committee Nov. 20, 2012; submission acceptance rate of 51%.)

Digital Data Preservation for Small and Mid-Sized Institutions

Session abstract for publication: Digital POWRR, or, Preserving (digital) Objects with Restricted Resources, is a project seeking an all-encompassing methodology for digital preservation that provides users the access to, or restrictions of, digital content that they create. Two project members—one from a mid-sized, public research institution and one from a small, private liberal arts school—will present the group’s findings. Audience members from all institution types who are seeking recommendations will find value in these research results.

Session abstract for review: While many larger institutions are making headway on digital preservation, medium-sized and smaller-sized institutions have struggled to make similar progress. And yet, readiness concerning digital materials is essential as more hard drives and CDs arrive from donors and old media formats become obsolete. This panel describes the strategies that small and medium-sized institutions are implementing as a result of a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Digital POWRR, or, Preserving (digital) Objects with Restricted Resources, involves five Illinois academic institutions investigating campus-wide preservation of digital objects.

Two project members—one from a mid-sized, public research institution and one from a small, private liberal arts school—will present their experiences in this work that is ultimately developing an all-encompassing methodology for digital preservation while providing users the access to or restrictions of the digital content that they value.

Audience members from novice to experienced in all institution types will benefit from this session and will leave with the latest information on methods for planning and implementing the processing of digital material.

Credentials: Lynne M. Thomas is the co-Principal Investigator of this IMLS-funded National Leadership Grant. As Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University, she is responsible for popular culture special collections, including papers of contemporary authors. She co-authored Special Collections 2.0, with Beth Whittaker of the University of Kansas (Libraries Unlimited, 2009). Thomas was also a leader in developing a white paper on digital preservation for a state-wide library consortium.

Meg Miner is a Project Leader at one of five Partner Institutions in the IMLS grant. She works with a variety of campus constituencies to collect, preserve and make accessible records that document the academic and organizational activities of Illinois Wesleyan University. As a member of the Ames Library’s Digital Initiatives team since 2006, Miner helps develop policies and conducts campus outreach to secure the university’s digital assets and to develop IWU’s institutional repository.

Relationship to meeting goals: The investigators of this IMLS grant are all from academic institutions, but we are working with community organizations that have even fewer resources than we do. Additionally, IMLS is requiring us to look beyond just the collections we regularly manage and to identify ways we can help all parts of our organizations secure their digital heritage—a timely topic given data curation requirements many researchers are facing.

Target audience: Attendees facing digital preservation challenges in repositories that lack technical support and/or funds to procure the increasingly prevalent large, and costly, commercial services will benefit from the findings of this project.

ALA

ALA Poster Session Proposal (Aaisha Haykal)

Title: Digital Data Capture for Small and Mid-Sized Institutions

Abstract: Digital POWRR, or, Preserving (digital) Objects with Restricted Resources, is a project seeking an all-encompassing methodology for digital preservation that provides users the access to, or restrictions of, digital content that they create. This project is a result of a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and involves five Illinois academic institutions investigating campus-wide preservation of digital objects. While many larger institutions have made considerable headway on digital preservation, medium-sized and smaller-sized institutions have struggled to make similar progress, largely due to lack of time, staff, or funds. Yet, they still have to tackle this issue if they want to preserve the historical memory of their institutions and be good stewards of the materials they collect or create. The poster will address the project’s aim as a whole (where the grant is as it ends its first-year and where it aims to go in the second-year); and highlight the work and findings at one partner institution: Chicago State University. Graphs will be used to show how staff and faculty are preserving their data on campus currently; and how confident or not confident they are that their data will be accessible in the future. Audiences will obtain the latest information on methods and tools to process digital material. The main focus of year-one of the project was to increase awareness of digital preservation on campus, which will be evaluated by the quantity of interviews and demonstrations/workshops that have been done on the respective partner campuses.

ALA Conversation Starter Proposal (Aaisha Haykal and Gayle Porter)

Title: Digital Data Capture for Small and Mid-Sized Institutions

Description: Digital POWRR, or, Preserving (digital) Objects with Restricted Resources, is a project that seeks an all-encompassing methodology for digital preservation of digital content for medium-sized and smaller-sized institutions. This project is a result of a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and involves five Illinois academic institutions investigating campus-wide preservation of digital objects. This session will allow grant partners to share their experiences on developing awareness about digital preservation on their campuses and creating preservation intent statements; and allow audience members to share their concerns, solutions, and programs regarding digital preservation at their institution.

DHLIB Conference Proposal ACCEPTED

Title: From Theory to Action: A Pragmatic Approach to Digital Preservation Tools and Strategies

Description: This workshop is a product of an IMLS-funded study (http://digitalpowrr.niu.edu) exploring digital preservation problems and potential solutions for small- and mid-sized libraries. It will not address the “why” of digital preservation; rather, it will discuss how individuals and institutions might prepare for the “how.” Workshop leaders will emphasize the fact that the long-term preservation of digital objects is best accomplished in a multi-institutional, collaborative manner, due to the wide variety of skills and resources required. They will review a number of digital preservation tools and services presently available, and provide participants with an opportunity to benefit from hands-on experience in how these tools might fit into the processes and procedures described by a major description of best practices in the field: the Online Computer Library Center’s “Walk this Way” report (http://oclc.org/content/dam/research/publications/library/2013/2013-02.pdf). In addition, participants will discuss the educational and advocacy activities that will likely be required to bring digital preservation issues to the attention of colleagues and administrators and secure financial resources for digital preservation activities. Attendees will create preliminary digital preservation plans for their institutions, addressing issues ranging from a grasp of the set of policies and practices that make up a digital preservation program to language to be used in multi-institutional partnership agreements and talking points helpful in securing buy-in from institutional stake-holders. Resources for further tool explorations, sample institutional digital preservation policies, and other supporting material will be provided.

Workshop participants will benefit from the following outcomes: 1) a high-level understanding of the types of digital preservation tools and services available and how their functionalities map to the digital preservation lifecycle; 2) experience in the use of specific tools, found to work well for practitioners working at institutions with relatively fewer resources; 3) a demonstration of how the processes described in the OCLC “Walk this Way” report actually work using selected tools; 4) familiarity with the issue of identifying key stakeholders (academic administrators, content creators, business administrators, information management professionals, and IT administrators) within an institution that should be involved in the digital preservation planning process, how to best approach them, and possible strategies for increasing their level of awareness; 5) experience in creating a preliminary timeline and plan of action for establishing communication with key stakeholders at an institution; and 6) knowledge of important considerations in the formation of multi-institution digital preservation collaborations and sample language furnishing an appropriate starting point for the development of legal documents supporting such collaborations. Workshop organizers can accommodate 25-30 practitioners from small and mid-sized institutions responsible for the continuing preservation of digital objects and possessing an introductory knowledge of digital preservation issues, such as those outlined in the Library of Congress's Digital Preservation Outreach & Education Curriculum (http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/education/curriculum.html). Workshop participants should bring a laptop computer, which they will use to work with software applications presented.

The proposed workshop will last for a full day as defined by the call for proposals.

Credentials: The proposed workshop will be led by Jaime Schumacher, Director of the Digital POWRR Project. She is a graduate of Purdue University, and holds an MLS degree from the University of Illinois. She can be reached at jschumacher@niu.edu. She will be accompanied by Drew VandeCreek, who holds a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Virginia, where he worked as a student assistant at the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities. At Northern Illinois University he has led the development of several digital humanities projects including the Lincoln/Net web site (http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu), the Mark Twain’s Mississippi web site(http://dig.lib.niu.edu/twain, soon to move to http://twain.lib.niu.edu), and the Southeast Asia Digital Library (http://sea.lib.niu.edu). His research interests have included the relationship between digital history and public history, and presently extend into the fields of digital preservation, text mining and Geographic Information Systems. He and Ms. Schumacher have recently submitted a manuscript examining important issues in institution-level digital preservation activities to the International Journal of Digital Curation. He can be reached at drew@niu.edu.

SAA 2014 Research Forum Poster ACCEPTED

Title: From Theory to Action: A Pragmatic Approach to Digital Preservation Strategies and Tools

Abstract: This poster communicates findings from DigitalPOWRR, or, Preserving (digital) Objects with Restricted Resources (http://digitalpowrr.niu.edu), a three-year project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Two members of this team presented the project status at the 2013 SAA Annual Meeting at a point when we had finished a high-level survey of available preservation tools and a study of our campus digital object creation practices. At that time we were beginning our in-depth tool testing phase and digital preservation planning process. This poster summarize our findings presented to the IMLS including our assessment of the tools we tested and the processes that our project members recommend given their distinctive institutional needs. Highlights include practical actions and affordable products that any digital object manager may implement to ensure long term accessibility of their collections. Conference attendees facing digital preservation challenges in repositories that lack technical support and/or funds to procure commercial services will benefit from the findings of the DigitalPOWRR project.

Presented by Meg Miner, University Archivist, Illinois Wesleyan University

Conference Proposal Example

Your Catchy Title: Digital Data Capture for Small and Mid-Sized Institutions

While many larger institutions have made considerable headway on digital preservation, medium-sized and smaller-sized institutions have struggled to make similar progress, largely due to lack of time, staff, or funds. Yet, preparedness and action concerning digital materials is essential as more hard drives and CDs arrive from donors and old media begin to deteriorate. The ingest of new digital material, as well as ensuring older content is still accessible, is of great concern for archivists. This panel investigates the strategies that small and medium-sized institutions are implementing in order to ensure the preservation of digital objects in their repositories. Three panelists will also address their experience with digital preservation. Particularly, [sub-topics could include:] in creating awareness and surveying of donors,the process of ingest, choosing/creating management software, creating metadata, developing a methodology for preservation or access, providing users access to the digital content. Additionally, a panel member will discuss the working grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services that was awarded to Northern Illinois University that is currently investigating this issue.

Audience members with novice interest and understanding as well as experienced digital archivists in small and mid-sized institutions would benefit from this session; it will address the current concerns and methods of practice in collecting and archiving digital content. Audience members can leave the session with the latest knowledge in emerging methods for planning and implementing the processing of digital material.