Digital Here Now, Maybe Forever? Collecting and Collaborations

1. Digital Here Now, Maybe Forever?Collecting and Collaborations Robert P. Spindler New England Archivists Fall Meeting Storrs, Connecticut October 12, 2007

2. Archivists and Collaboration • Why can’t we go it alone? • Creators and digital obsolescence • Lack of professionally managed infrastructure • Need for specialized technology expertise • Need for authority/executive champion(s)

3. Archivists and Collaboration • The Plan (for the next 40 mins. or so): • Collaboration with creators • What should we say to them? • What motivates them? • Quick university case studies • Enterprise systems • Learning management systems • Electronic theses and dissertations • Lessons Learned

4. Archivists and Creators • What should we discuss with them? • Articulate the digital preservation challenge • Identify sustainable formats – run with pack! • Discuss production workflow • Documentation of ownership (collaborations) • Transfer to archival system/reliable infrastructure

5. Archivists and Collaboration • Creators are motivated by different things: • Enterprise system content owners are business/transaction driven • Faculty are interested in tenure and time • Students are motivated by program requirements • How can we speak to their needs?

6. Case Study: Enterprise Student Information System (2006-07) • New SIS to be implemented in 18 months • Student transcripts are vital records • Archivist comments to CIO’s Wiki • Registrar is supportive but not committed • PESC XML Standard http://www.pesc.org/info/approved/xml-post-transcript.asp • Meeting with project co-leaders

7. Case Study: Enterprise Student Information System (2007)

8. Case Study: Learning Management Systems (2003) • General Counsel called committee with reps from: • Faculty • University IT • University Archives

9. Case Study: Learning Management Systems (2003) • Counsel interested in rights management, privacy and public records compliance • University IT interested in deleting obsolete files and avoiding migration costs • University Archives interested in preserving sample courses for pedagogy and history • Faculty wants to keep everything

10. Case Study: Learning Management Systems (2003) • Group identified course components and content lifespan through a flow chart • Taxonomy of course components drafted with proposed retention periods for each

13. Case Study: Learning Management Systems (2003) • Group disbanded in Spring 2004 • Faculty could not see the justification for deletion of anything

14. Case Study: ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Working Group (2001) • 22 faculty, librarians, IT staff, Graduate College administrators, + one archivist. • Proposed: • PDF requirement and optional multimedia • Student self-submission process • Multimedia format standards • Funding for IT and Graduate College staff

15. Case Study: ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Working Group (2001) • Technology staff (University and Library): • Builds submission interface • Maintains storage environment • Researches migration paths and tests migrations • Librarians review and enhance author-provided metadata • Archivists evaluate preservation and recordkeeping requirements

16. Case Study: ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Working Group (2001) • Standards committee receives format standards proposals from students via GC advisors • Center for Learning and Teaching Excellence to provide student training • University was unable or unwilling to support the true costs

17. Conclusion: Lesson Learned • All of these initiatives failed! • We have a responsibility to keep trying • Be strategic – pick your spots • Executive champions are the key: • Provosts • Counsel • Auditors • CIOs and Library Deans

18. Thanks!Digital Here Now, Maybe Forever? Collecting and Collaborations Robert P. Spindler New England Archivists Fall Meeting Storrs, Connecticut October 12, 2007