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NEDCC Presents Highly Successful Conference on Digital Preservation
For Immediate Release
December 2006
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Tucson Saguaro Cactus |
Tucson, Arizona, was warm and sunny on December 5th and 6th for theNortheast Document Conservation Center’s conference on digital preservation, Persistence of Memory: Stewardship of Digital Assets. The two-day conference was held at the Marriott University Park Hotel in the city’s center, and drew 200 attendees from 34 states as well as Canada and Spain. Participants represented libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, and other cultural institutions, including tribal councils, religious organizations, and the National Park Service. Partial funding for this conference was provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The program addressed the question of managing and preserving digital assets over the long term and highlighted evolving best practices for digital preservation. 75% of attendees considered themselves novices, indicating that there is much to learn within the field of digitization as a whole. The conference covered the topics of risk assessment, internal and external cooperation, use requirements, metadata for preservation, and the economics of digital preservation. Attendees were provided with an excellent opportunity to network with colleagues in the same field.
Participants’ Comments:
- “My position as a collections manager is largely focused on physical objects, but digital issues are increasing. This is a very useful forum for getting a wider exposure.”
- "The material was presented in new ways, which got me to think differently about assumptions/directions in which I’d been moving.”
- “The speakers were all very talented and provided unique information. I really appreciate the topics picked and their relevance to my position.”
- “I learned a great deal. Much of this information will help me advocate for better stewardship of our digital repository.”
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Simon Tanner discusses balancing costs with benefits
and the institution’s mission.
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Rob Spindler and Katherine Skinner field questions at the close of Day One. |
The conference was led by a faculty of experts in the field of digitization. Frequent question-and-answer sessions gave participants the opportunity to ask specific questions about approaches, and faculty provided numerous resources, such as specific URL’s, that might be useful for further study.
2006 Persistence of Memory Faculty:
| Priscilla Caplan Florida Center for Library Automation |
Richard Pearce-Moses Arizona State Library and Archives |
| Tom Clareson PALINET |
Katherine Skinner Emory University |
| Paul Conway University of Michigan |
Robert P. Spindler Arizona State University Libraries |
| Robin Dale RLG – Programs, OCLC Office of Programs and Research |
Simon Tanner King’s College London |
| David Joyall NEDCC |
Elizabeth Yakel University of Michigan |
| Clifford Lynch Coalition for Networked Information |
The next Persistence of Memory conference is tentatively scheduled for late fall 2007 and will include new reports and studies published during the year. Watch the NEDCC Web site for details and complete conference information.