News

The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) is delighted to offer its members a preview of the latest in its series of topical DPC Technology Watch Reports, Preserving Computer-Aided Design (CAD). Written by Alex Ball, and published in association with Jisc’s Digital Curation Centre (DCC) and Charles Beagrie Ltd, this report provides a comprehensive overview of the development of CAD, the threat caused by its own innovative application and its vendors’ race to continuously upgrade; often leaving users with inaccessible versions and models.

The Digital Preservation Coalition is delighted to offer members a preview of our latest Technology Watch Report ‘Web Archiving'.

'The World Wide Web is a unique information resource of massive scale, explains Maureen Pennock the report's author, 'yet the lasting legacy of the web is at risk, threatened in part by the very speed at which it has become a success. Content is lost at an alarming rate, risking not just our digital cultural memory but also issues of organizational accountability.  In recognition of this threat, organizations have invested heavily in developing and implementing a range of web archiving solutions.' 

The Digital Preservation Coalition is delighted to welcome the Information Services of the University of Edinburgh at the as its newest member.

"The University of Edinburgh is a blend of an historic institution that has significant collections of diverse materials and a high-performing research intensive university'' explained John Scally, director of Library and Collections .  "These present us with a changing array of digital preservation requirements - from the digitisation of physical collections to the influx of new digital data in volumes previously not seen, often with unknown preservation expectations. We have recently included digital preservation as a significant strategic theme in our forward plans and are joining the DPC to assist us in the framing of a plan to address this important area."

The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) and nestor, the German competence centre in long-term archiving, are delighted to announce a new alliance which allows them to share resources and enables their members to work together for the preservation of digital objects.

‘Nestor is a coalition of institutions in Germany, facilitated by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, with the goal of encouraging knowledge exchange and co-operation in of digital preservation,’ explained Sabine Schrimpf of nestor.. ‘Our work is not restricted to the national level. The partners maintain close links with corresponding initiatives in other countries and are actively involved in European and international initiatives and projects.  We’ve always understood that collaboration is important for digital preservation, and because it is an international challenge it makes sense to work with partners around the world.  We have a lot in common with DPC and we recognise that we can be more effective when we work together.’

The Digital Preservation Coalition is delighted to welcome the Digital Repository of Ireland as its newest member.

"The Digital Repository of Ireland is building an interactive and trusted national digital repository," explained Dr. Sandra Collins, Director of the DRI. "The repository will feature social and cultural data held by Irish institutions, from both contemporary and historical sources. We are working to raise awareness of the need for digital preservation and the benefits of open access, while respecting and acknowledging ownership, copyright, intellectual property rights, privacy and confidentiality."

"Joining the DPC means we can strengthen our relationships with others working in the field, work together in advocacy and awareness-raising, and participate in training and projects that help to build capacity in our sector."

The Digital Preservation Coalition is delighted to announce the release of ‘Digital Forensics and Preservation’ by Jeremy Leighton John of the British Library – the latest in its popular Technology Watch Report series.

‘Digital forensics is associated in many people’s minds primarily with criminal investigations’, explained the author, ‘but forensic methods have emerged as an essential source of tools and approaches for digital preservation, specifically for protecting and investigating evidence from the past.’ 

The Digital Preservation Coalition is today publishing the latest in its popular Technology Watch Reports ‘Intellectual Property Rights for Digital Preservation’ by Andrew Charlesworth of the University of Bristol.

Legal issues, in particular the process of obtaining copyright clearance for preservation and access of archived material, can contribute significantly to the cost and complexity of digital preservation. It is an area where the wider preservation community often needs to make its case with government and other legislators.