What do I do with this? Curating digital manuscripts, old and new

Your hosts:Pete Cliff, Software Engineer, futureArch project

Renhart Gittens, Software Engineer, futureArch projectSusan Thomas, Digital Archivist; Project Manager, futureArch project

The futureArch project is developing Bodleian Electronic Archives and Manuscripts (BEAM), a facility to curate the born-digital manuscripts which form a growing proportion of personal and organisational papers deposited with the Bodleian's Western Manuscripts department. This workshop is an opportunity to meet project staff and explore the issues involved in curating and preserving digital archives and manuscripts.

Workshop formatPart One

Brief overview of the futureArch project (09/2008-01/2012) developing Bodleian Electronic Archives & Manuscripts (BEAM).

Part Two

Scenario-based group discussions to explore some issues in more depth.

Archives &

Manuscripts

● Documentary materials accumulated by individuals or organisations

● Largely unpublished

● First-hand accounts

● Increasingly hybrid

● Multiple sources, multiple negotiations, formats...

OurDigital

lives

Our previous digital lives...Barbara Castle's Amstrad disks

● Total hybrid archive - over 800 boxes, 1903-2002● Lots and lots of paper!

● 1 box video; 1 box audio

● 31 Amstrad disks (inc. 6 never used), 1989-1992

● Two PCs, ?1992-1997, 1997-2002

● Four 3.5” floppy disks (largely backups from PC)

MS. Castle Digital 39/1

MS. Castle Digital 39/2

MS. Castle Digital 39/1

Alan Bennett

c. 15 linear metres, c. 1960-200811 floppy disks, c. 1992-2002

'Newer' digital materials● Desire to intervene earlier in the life of the archive

● Opportunities to capture contextual info. from creators

● Cloud material

● Identify material 'at risk'; provide guidance and/or accession

● Examples:

● 20GB email archive (c. 85,000 emails), 2003-2007

● Conservative Party Archives, regular e-accessions from 2003

● Snapshots of materials from various depositors' hard disks (Paradigm project and ongoing)

Policy

CollectionsResearch support

Professional

InfrastructureHigh levelA I m s

● Donor confidence

● Transfer tools

● Legacy holdings

● New materials

● Define end-to-

end activities

● Policy, roles &

responsibilities

● Embed in

Library budget ● Training

curatorial

staff● Providing

systems

for curatorial staff

● Graduate Trainees

● Share lessons

● Establish BEAM as production-level service

● Establish BEAM infrastructure, sharing

common components with

ODL and ORA

● Create access (on-site and online, as appropriate)

Current focus● Modify accessioning process – flag digital material for

'preservation processing' on arrival

● Secure and resilient storage – Digital Asset Management System (DAMS)

● Processes, tools and supporting 'curation manual' for acquisition, capture and ingest to DAMS

● Antique computing

● Forensic computing (inc. mass processing)

● 'Preservation processing' of legacy holdings

● Automatic metadata generation for digital collections

● Recruitment – Project Archivist and Graduate Trainee

● Interfaces & tools ● For curators – to manage collections, cataloguing, enquiries, etc.

● For researchers – integrate with WMSS online catalogues & SOLO

● Digital preservation policy● BEAM policy

● Tools for planning and 'preservation actions'

● Acquisition● 'Cloud materials'

● Web archiving

● Access● Refining cataloguing techniques

● Processing archives for researcher access

● Publication pathways (closed > reading room access > open web)

Future focus

Questions?Email

susan.thomas@bodley.ox.ac.uk

More online...Paradigm project

http://www.paradigm.ac.ukBodleian Electronic Archives & Manuscripts

http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/beam futureArch project blog

http://futurearchives.blogspot.com/

Group work !● Single scenario from three perspectives:

● Group discussion (15 mins):● Appoint a rapporteur

● Work though the scenario, noting interesting issues on your flipchart for reporting back to the larger group.

● Report back & plenary discussion (15 mins)

Group 1Donor

Group 2Archivist

Group 3Researcher