Working Together Revisited: Diverse Skills for Sustainability Robert P. Spindler Arizona State University [email protected] December 5 th, 2006

Working Together Revisited:Working Together Revisited: Diverse Skills for Sustainability Diverse Skills for Sustainability

Robert P. SpindlerRobert P. SpindlerArizona State UniversityArizona State [email protected]@asu.eduDecember 5December 5thth, 2006, 2006

Working Together Revisited…Working Together Revisited…

Asked to address “internal collaboration”Asked to address “internal collaboration”

Suggests collaboration across disciplines within an Suggests collaboration across disciplines within an organizationorganization

Also suggests collaborations with creatorsAlso suggests collaborations with creators

Separate disciplines/common interestsSeparate disciplines/common interests

Libraries have archives/assetsLibraries have archives/assets

IT professionals have archivesIT professionals have archives

Museums have archivesMuseums have archives

But archives are not a core business of any of But archives are not a core business of any of them!them!


Each of these professions have knowledge and Each of these professions have knowledge and skills that add value to digital preservation skills that add value to digital preservation activityactivity

Because they are often separate administrative Because they are often separate administrative units, they compete for resources instead of units, they compete for resources instead of collaborating on solutionscollaborating on solutions


Librarian skills:Librarian skills:

Develop and apply descriptive metadata standardsDevelop and apply descriptive metadata standards Description of the “item in hand”Description of the “item in hand” Experience with integrating complex system Experience with integrating complex system

functionalitiesfunctionalities Experience with human-computer interfacesExperience with human-computer interfaces


Curatorial Skills of Museum Professionals:Curatorial Skills of Museum Professionals:

Description and representation of objects (3D Description and representation of objects (3D digital)digital)

Authenticating and contextualizing objects through Authenticating and contextualizing objects through documentary sourcesdocumentary sources

Experience with multimedia development and Experience with multimedia development and preservationpreservation


Information Technology Professional Skills:Information Technology Professional Skills:

Manages large scale and redundant storageManages large scale and redundant storage

Builds or maintains sophisticated applicationsBuilds or maintains sophisticated applications

Evaluates software and conducts data migrationsEvaluates software and conducts data migrations

Conducts backup and quality control (checksum)Conducts backup and quality control (checksum)


Archivist Skills:Archivist Skills: Experience selecting valued materialsExperience selecting valued materials Organizes diverse informationOrganizes diverse information Maintains hierarchical relationships and Maintains hierarchical relationships and

documents provenancedocuments provenance Manages rights for unpublished contentManages rights for unpublished content Establishes ownership through legal agreementsEstablishes ownership through legal agreements

Collaborative modelsCollaborative models

Movement toward Schools of Information Movement toward Schools of Information Offered archives programs and library automation Offered archives programs and library automation

classesclasses Explosion of HTML and XML encoding led to Explosion of HTML and XML encoding led to

applications and descriptive standards applications and descriptive standards development by librarians and archivists working development by librarians and archivists working with IT professionalswith IT professionals

IT community moving toward Informatics IT community moving toward Informatics programsprograms


Working Together (1998)Working Together (1998) Coalition for Networked Information/NHPRCCoalition for Networked Information/NHPRC Archivists and Technology ProfessionalsArchivists and Technology Professionals 1.5 day workshop to jointly develop electronic 1.5 day workshop to jointly develop electronic

records project proposalrecords project proposal Program presented at SAA 2006 by Fynnette Program presented at SAA 2006 by Fynnette

EatonEaton


Working Together (1998)Working Together (1998)

““There is a growing body of technical art and knowledge There is a growing body of technical art and knowledge that is common among museum curators, librarians, that is common among museum curators, librarians, archivists, and others that relates to information technology archivists, and others that relates to information technology (IT) and can be enhanced by new developments in IT, (IT) and can be enhanced by new developments in IT, making it fertile ground for collaboration.” making it fertile ground for collaboration.”

Gerry Bernbom, Joan Lippincott, and Fynnette Eaton, “Working Gerry Bernbom, Joan Lippincott, and Fynnette Eaton, “Working Together: New Collaborations among Information Professionals”,Together: New Collaborations among Information Professionals”, CAUSE/EFFECTCAUSE/EFFECT , 22(2), 1999 , 22(2), 1999


ECURE Conference (1999-2006)ECURE Conference (1999-2006) Marketed to archivists, records managers, Marketed to archivists, records managers,

librarians, IT professionalslibrarians, IT professionals All professions represented in programAll professions represented in program Attempted to engage digital content creatorsAttempted to engage digital content creators Interdisciplinary project incubator/evaluatorInterdisciplinary project incubator/evaluator


Open Archival Information Systems (OAIS) Open Archival Information Systems (OAIS) Reference Model Functions (1999):Reference Model Functions (1999): Submission and pre-ingestSubmission and pre-ingest IngestIngest Archival storageArchival storage Data ManagementData Management Preservation PlanningPreservation Planning Archive AdministrationArchive Administration Access/Dissemination Access/Dissemination


Arizona State ETD Working Group (2001) Arizona State ETD Working Group (2001) 23 faculty, librarians, archivists, IT staff, Graduate 23 faculty, librarians, archivists, IT staff, Graduate

College (GC) administratorsCollege (GC) administrators Proposed:Proposed:

PDF requirement and optional multimediaPDF requirement and optional multimedia Student self-submission processStudent self-submission process Multimedia format standardsMultimedia format standards Funding for IT and Graduate College staffFunding for IT and Graduate College staff


Arizona State ETD Working Group (2001) Arizona State ETD Working Group (2001) Standards committee to receive format standards Standards committee to receive format standards

proposals from students via GC advisorsproposals from students via GC advisors IT staff to research migration paths and test IT staff to research migration paths and test

migrationsmigrations Librarians to review and enhance author-provided Librarians to review and enhance author-provided

metadatametadata Archivists to evaluate preservation and Archivists to evaluate preservation and

recordkeeping requirementsrecordkeeping requirements

Collaborations with CreatorsCollaborations with Creators

Increasing recognition that choices of creators Increasing recognition that choices of creators impact chances for preservationimpact chances for preservation

Depocas, Alain, Jon Ippolito and Caitlin Jones, Depocas, Alain, Jon Ippolito and Caitlin Jones, The The Variable Media Approach: Permanence Through ChangeVariable Media Approach: Permanence Through Change, ,

New York: Guggenheim Museum, 2003.New York: Guggenheim Museum, 2003.

Collaborations with CreatorsCollaborations with Creators

What should we discuss with creators?What should we discuss with creators? Articulate the preservation challengeArticulate the preservation challenge Identify sustainable production technology or Identify sustainable production technology or

archival form for preservationarchival form for preservation Discuss production workflowDiscuss production workflow Documentation of ownership (collaborations?)Documentation of ownership (collaborations?) Transfer to archival system/reliable infrastructureTransfer to archival system/reliable infrastructure

Need for Collaboration?Need for Collaboration?

National Science Foundation National Science Foundation Cyberinfrastructure Report (2003?)Cyberinfrastructure Report (2003?)

Cites development of digital libraries by Cites development of digital libraries by investigatorsinvestigators

Focuses on scientist collaborations with Focuses on scientist collaborations with information technology and information scienceinformation technology and information science

Need for Collaboration?Need for Collaboration?

” ”Creating this integrated, networked cultural Creating this integrated, networked cultural record will require intensive collaboration among record will require intensive collaboration among scholars as well as cooperation with librarians, scholars as well as cooperation with librarians, curators and archivists...”curators and archivists...”

Our Cultural Commonwealth: The final report of the Our Cultural Commonwealth: The final report of the American Council of Learned Societies Commission on American Council of Learned Societies Commission on Cyberinfrastructure for the Humanities & Social SciencesCyberinfrastructure for the Humanities & Social Sciences , ,

2006 (p. 18)2006 (p. 18)

ConclusionsConclusions

Survival of digital assets depends on Survival of digital assets depends on collaboration between creators and collaboration between creators and interdisciplinary teams of custodiansinterdisciplinary teams of custodians

Interdisciplinary collaboration is increasingly Interdisciplinary collaboration is increasingly expectedexpected

Obstacles to collaboration still existObstacles to collaboration still exist

Working Together Revisited:Working Together Revisited: Diverse Skills for Sustainability Diverse Skills for Sustainability

Robert P. SpindlerRobert P. SpindlerArizona State UniversityArizona State [email protected]@asu.eduDecember 5December 5thth, 2006, 2006

Documents

Working Together Revisited: Diverse Skills for Sustainability Robert P. Spindler Arizona State University [email protected] December 5 th, 2006