All Together Now session 2 - iPRES HH4

Title: Documentation Good Practice: Bringing Order in Disruptive Times

Author(s): Jenny Mitcham

Abstract: In times of disruption we need to do the less interesting parts of our job better than ever. Documentation falls into this category – a sometimes neglected task that is often sidelined in favor of new and exciting innovations or even just the constant pressure of other routine tasks. It is easy to forget to create documentation or to let existing documents stagnate and become out-of-date. And yet, in the event of a disaster, it may be the very first thing we will turn to, to help to bring order to the chaos. Digital preservation documentation is undoubtedly important to us in the digital preservation community but where is the good practice guidance that tells us what to document, when, where and how? This paper describes work at the Digital Preservation Coalition to gather together experiences to create a new good practice guide on digital preservation documentation.

Type: Short Paper

————————————-

Title: From Silos to Community: The Path to a Holistic Digital Preservation Policy

Author(s): Laura McCann and Weatherly Stephan

Abstract: While New York University Libraries has a long history of and commitment to digital collecting and preservation efforts, the institution did not have any policies governing the services and activities of digital preservation prior to 2022. This paper details the creation of a holistic digital preservation policy statement, with contributors from across ten functional units at NYU Libraries. The policy was grounded in the Libraries’ mission and values–including deep commitments to inclusion, diversity, belonging, equity, and accessibility–and drew on themes crafted by all members of the group to ensure their work was represented in the statement. The success of the policy group was rooted in its intentional formation and processes that acknowledged the distributed nature of digital preservation and emphasized the creation of a community of practice. Further, it laid the foundation for a more complete suite of preservation policies and forward-looking conversations about how to enact ethical and sustainable stewardship in digital collecting, access, and preservation practices.

Type: Short Paper

————————————-

Title: Lessons From The Future: Looking Back On Policy Development

Author(s): Elizabeth England, Martin Gengenbach, Jenny Mitcham, Kieran O’Leary and Sharon McMeekin

Abstract: Policy is an important component of a successful digital preservation program. For example, CoreTrustSeal suggests that a policy statement would be appropriate evidence to demonstrate that a repository has an explicit mission to provide access to and preserve digital objects, and the DPC’s Rapid Assessment Model suggests that a digital preservation policy should be in place in order to reach the ‘Basic’ level of the ‘Policy and Strategy’ section. While resources exist to assist organizations in developing their first digital preservation policy, these formative strategic documents are intended to hold relevance beyond their initial publication. This panel will highlight challenges and opportunities in the development and ongoing maintenance of digital preservation policies across three organizations: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, National Library of Ireland, and National Library of New Zealand. Panelists will reflect on learnings from different stages of the policy lifecycle, including initial development, initiating revisions, and re-engaging with dormant policy documents. These efforts will be contextualized within broader policy education resources, including the DPC’s revised Digital Preservation Policy Toolkit, through panel facilitation and Q&A.

Type: Panel