News
New Member - RCAHMS/RCAHMW joins DPC
Added on 18 January 2010
The Digital Preservation Coalition is delighted to welcome as members the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, acting jointly through the 'SWISH Partnership'.
'The Royal Commissions collect, record and interpret information on the architectural, industrial, archaeological and maritime heritage of our countries,' explained Kirsty Lingstadt of RCAHMS. 'We have been doing this for more than a hundred years so our archives are vast and continue to expand.'
'Our digital collections are growing rapidly. Between us we curate more than 300,000 digital objects totalling over 11TB and we expect this to increase by more than 50000 objects and 3TB annually. We have very diverse types of data including GIS data, vector graphics and laser scanning.
Archaeology Data Service
Added on 11 January 2010
The DPC is pleased to announce that the Archaeology Data Service at the University of York has become the latest organisation to join the coalition.
'The Archaeology Data service is a national data archive for archaeology and related disciplines in the UK', explained Prof Julian Richards, director of the ADS. 'We are the mandated archive for archaeological data for the AHRC and NERC and work closely with a variety of national agencies such as English Heritage, to ensure the long term preservation and dissemination of digital data. We currently curate more than 250 archives covering thousands of archaeological projects, as well as a wealth of digital library resources. There is a broad range of data types and several terabytes of data.'
Archaeology Data Service joins the DPC
Added on 11 January 2010
The DPC is pleased to announce that the Archaeology Data Service at the University of York has become the latest organisation to join the coalition.
'The Archaeology Data service is a national data archive for archaeology and related disciplines in the UK', explained Prof Julian Richards, director of the ADS. 'We are the mandated archive for archaeological data for the AHRC and NERC and work closely with a variety of national agencies such as English Heritage, to ensure the long term preservation and dissemination of digital data. We currently curate more than 250 archives covering thousands of archaeological projects, as well as a wealth of digital library resources. There is a broad range of data types and several terabytes of data.'
The Content Strategist as Digital Curator (from OCLC)
Added on 8 December 2009
A List Apart, December 8, 2009
SUMMARY: Feeding the Web. Our Web sites are important assets and curating them is an essential part of our overall organizational strategy. Balancing timely and timeless content, using analytics to better understand users' needs and managing the conversation flow are the building blocks for success in any business. Read on for more reasons not to skimp on Web site management when it's budget time.
Short-Term Memory and Web Usability (from OCLC)
Added on 7 December 2009
Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, December 7, 2009
SUMMARY: "Designing for cavemen." That's how Nielsen describes his approach toward Web design that takes into account human limitations in short-term memory (for instance, the average human brain can hold only seven chunks of information at a time and these fade from memory within 20 seconds). Check out the article for some suggestions on how to create menus that are manageable (too short is almost as bad as too long) and create a common sense Web navigation strategy that makes the most of those precious 20 seconds.
News from our partners
Added on 1 October 2009
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English Heritage
Added on 29 September 2009
We are delighted to announce that English Heritage has become the latest organisation to join the Digital Preservation Coalition as an associate member.
English Heritage is the lead body for the conservation of England’s historic environment. The research and documentation which EH carries out and which it funds in the wider sector to support this remit is increasingly created and disseminated in digital formats, sometimes using techniques which are at the cutting edge of new technologies. It is crucial that this work remains accessible to future generations so that it can continue to inform understanding and management of the historic environment.
Mike Evans, Head of Archives for the English Heritage National Monuments Record, explained, 'Over 18.5 Tb of data is held by the National Monuments Record and very large volumes of data collected or funded by EH are held on local servers or curated by third parties.
'In an era in which the study and the management of the past around us depends more and more on digital tools and communication, we believe that the work of the Coalition and its members can help EH make a real contribution to safeguarding the collective memory of the historic environment sector
'We're very pleased to be joining the Digital Preservation Coalition.'
Bruno Longmore, Acting Chair of the DPC and Head of Government for the National Archives of Scotland, welcomed English Heritage to the coalition.
'Our members represent very diverse agencies, in public and professional practice. This is not surprising: the challenge of long term and reliable access to data is one that many organisations face. By joining, English Heritage have not only got access to the resources and support of the coalition to help face that challenge, but they have also clearly signalled that they are serious about working to resolve this challenge.'
English Heritage Joins DPC
Added on 29 September 2009
We are delighted to announce that English Heritage has become the latest organisation to join the Digital Preservation Coalition as an associate member.
Mind the Gap
Added on 1 June 2008
Report reveals major gaps in long term management of valuable digital assets
15th February 2006
A 'state of the nation' report today reveals that less than 20% of UK organisations surveyed have a strategy in place to deal with the risk of loss or degradation to their digital resources - despite a very high level of awareness of the risks and potential economic penalties.
With the release today of the report, Mind the gap: assessing digital preservation needs in the UK, the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) aims to help government, public institutions and private companies turn high awareness into concerted action.
ICPSR become DPC Ally
Added on 30 April 2008
The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
It gives me great pleasure to announce that The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) has become an allied organisation of the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC).
The ICPSR (http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/ICPSR/) is, like the DPC a membership organisation. It encourages and facilitates research and instruction in the social sciences and related areas by acquiring, developing, archiving, and disseminating data and documentation relevant to a wide spectrum of disciplines, and by conducting related instructional programs.
Chris Rusbridge, a Digital Preservation Coalition Board Director, said: