Well, with any luck things aren’t so bad that all hope is lost. But freedom, or at least enlightenment, may well be on the horizon!
What do you mean it's not supposed to look like that?!
(Image courtesy of glennbphoto, The Atlas of Digital Damages)
Last summer, beneath the lofty cathedral-esque ceiling of York’s Guildhall, a group of troubled digital preservationists held their heads in their hands.
‘If only there was a way we could talk openly about our workflow woes,’ they cried.
‘It would make the task seem so much easier if I could just share what’s going wrong with someone who understands what I am going through,’ they confessed.
And lo, ‘Digital Preservationists Anonymous’ was born. Thanks to a committed team (who shall of course remain nameless), next month sees the inaugural gathering of the Digital Preservationists Anonymous Support Group… or Fail Club as it has been informally named by the DPC Team. Because it’s shorter. And sounds cooler.
Strictly a DPC members-only event, at Fail Club we will share mistakes made, pain suffered and challenges encountered. It will be a chance to reflect on things that have not gone as well as we liked, or were difficult challenges to solve. It will be liberating, cathartic and therapeutic: no-holds barred, warts and all.
And like all good support groups, we will discuss how to learn from those experiences and move forward in a positive fashion.
Expect the advice to be slightly more helpful from your Fail Club compadres (image courtesy of Daniel Rehn, The Atlas of Digital Damages)
While we might not be sticking to the exact format of our informal namesake, this event will of course have some ground rules. Unsurprisingly, the first rule is the Chatham House Rule. The second rule is that you must share with the group. All attendees will be expected to deliver a 3 minute / 3 slide lightning talk to tell us about a challenge, set back or “failure.” The third rule is: the group will help. After hearing lightning talks from the attendees, we’ll break out into groups to discuss those issues, and work out how to learn from them and solve them.
So come, or don’t. Only those who attend will know either way. But those who do come may leave one step closer to vanquishing their digital preservation demons.
Registration closes on Friday 12th May: http://www.dpconline.org/events/past-events/dp-anon