Custodians of Culture, Architects of Archives

1. Custodians of Culture, Architects of Archives Martin Halbert (Emory Univ., MetaArchive Cooperative) - Facilitator Thib Guicherd‐Callin (Stanford University Libraries, LOCKSS/CLOCKSS) Aaron Trehub (Auburn University, Alabama Digital Preservation Network) Richard Pearce‐Moses (Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records) Micah Altman (of Harvard University, representing the Data‐PASS project) NDIIPP Partner Meeting Washington, D.C. July 8, 2008

2. Observations from the MetaArchive Cooperative Martin Halbert Emory University MetaArchive Cooperative NDIIPP Partner Meeting Washington, D.C. July 8, 2008

3. The Need for Collaborative Approaches “The increased number and diversity of those concerned with digital preservation—coupled with the current general scarcity of resources for preservation infrastructure — suggests that new collaborative relationships that cross institutional and sector boundaries could provide important and promising ways to deal with the data preservation challenge. These collaborations could potentially help spread the burden of preservation, create economies of scale needed to support it, and mitigate the risks of data loss.” - The Need for Formalized Trust in Digital Repository Collaborative Infrastructure NSF/JISC Repositories Workshop (April 16, 2007)

4. The Inception of a New Field • Digital Preservation is a new and emerging field now increasingly recognized and accepted by cultural memory organizations everywhere • The questions are no longer the general “if” and “why”, but the more specific “how”, “who”, “when”, and “what” • The NDIIPP community has stood on a green field and laid down the foundation stones for what is to come — This is important work, keep it up

5. The Rise of Distributed Digital Preservation Networks • There is currently rapid growth of cooperative networks as a way of undertaking digital preservation activities • Interest in implementation of this approach to digital preservation at all levels, ranging from small groups of historical associations to entire countries • Represents a way to balance autonomy and solidarity of effort, independent control of assets and investment in a shared group infrastructure

6. MetaArchiveCooperative A distributed digital preservation cooperative for digital archives • Established in 2004 under the auspices of and with funding from the National Digital Information and Infrastructure Preservation Program (NDIIPP) of the Library of Congress • A functioning DDP network and cooperative for libraries and other cultural heritage organizations • Sustained by cooperative fee memberships, LC contracts, and other sponsored funding • Provides training and models for other groups to establish similar distributed digital preservation networks • Fosters broader awareness of digital preservation issues

7. New MetaArchive Activities • Doubling in size with incorporation of new members during next six months • Conducting workshops for and consulting with many new groups that are interested in emulating our model in specific communities (state, country) • Developing new tools for cooperative efforts, including revised conspectus database, and experiments in format migration and indexing

8. Growing Archives in MetaArchive • Southern Digital Culture (national) • Transatlantic Slave Trade Historical Data (international) • Electronic Theses and Dissertations (international) • Result of a strategic alliance between the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) announced at ETD 2008 in Aberdeen, Scotland

9. The Way Forward • There is audacity in hope for the future — there is strength in this audacity • There is more that draws us together than separates us • We as a community of cultural memory institutions share many values concerning our commitment to preserving a public web of knowledge, values that motivate us to work together cooperatively

10. Contact Info Dr. Martin Halbert martin.halbert@emory.edu 404-727-2204