Performance, preservation and policy: digital curation and preservation

awareness and strategy in the performing arts

Laura MolloyDigital Curation Centre

HATII, University of GlasgowE: laura.molloy AT glasgow.ac.uk / @LM_HATII

DPASSH, Dublin. Friday 26 June 2015

DC/DP skills development resources for the performing arts

Existing research and initiatives: • There’s not much• Mostly focused on research and practice

within institutional context– Notable exception: InterPARES

• Some fixed-term projects but little sign of uptake / routine inclusion in education

digital objects in the performing arts objects created

in order to serve as documentation of performance

What I’m on about today. (P.S. Not to scale.)

Digital documentation – just part of the picture.

Image: Ed Fay: @digitalfay

Definitions. (Yay.)

• The performing arts

• Practitioner (self-employed)

• Digital object

• Digital curation and preservation

Practitioner-focused study: selected findings

Respondent profile:• Small study (not representative of the entire

professional sector)• Currently working in UK• Self-defined artforms• Most work in multiple artforms• 8/12 self funding; 9/12 public / charity funded

Practitioner focused study: selected findings

Digital object (DO) creation and use:• Widespread: 11/12 create and all (12/12) use• 10/12 report valued specific use for preserved

DOs = economic benefit

Practitioner focused study: selected findings

‘Preservation’ of performance work:• 9/12: uncertainty displayed re. ‘preservation’• All believe practitioners en masse should

preserve (at least in some contexts)• 11/12 believe they preserve own work• 8/12 put things in a cardboard box• 7/12 conflate creation and preservation of

documentation

Practitioner focused study: selected findings

Access to DOs created by self and others:• 9/12 rate access to digital collections

‘somewhat’ or ‘extremely’ important to their workflow

• 8/12 expect their DOs to be available in perpetuity / as long as desired

• 10/12 in favour of access by other practitioners for research

Practitioner focused study: emerging themes

• No relationship between artform and level of DC/DP skill / knowledge; or between creation of born-digital work and DC/DP knowledge

• PA practitioners: active in creation and use of DOs– In favour of access to DOs for community of practice– Expect DOs to exist in perpetuity– BUT low levels of DC/DP awareness and skill

= suggests awareness and skills gap across community of practice

Practitioner focused study: emerging recommendations

• Uptake of existing skills development resources in FE/HE PA education

• Need for advocacy to FE/HE, creative funders, PA representative organisations

• Need for good practice expectations / policy from funders for practitioner use

• Guidance for sustainable DO management available from funders as part of bidding process

• Anything else?

Thanks for your attention!

Laura MolloyDigital Curation Centre

HATII, University of GlasgowE: laura.molloy AT glasgow.ac.uk

@LM_HATII