Who Gives a Format? Adam Burt, Miles Metcalfe, Remmert de Vroome Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication

Well, who does? We do. We all do. The amount of electronic data is growing all the time. Our goal is “data for the ages”.

Outline Some Background; What We Did - Our Experiences; Some Insights - Our Recommendations.

Some Background The outputs of more and more processes - including learning - no longer exist beyond the digital world. Consideration of the impact of this generally covers storage, recovery, and security.

There’s another problem The choice of file format can have a significant impact on the longevity of digital information. These choices are rarely made at an institutional strategic level, as most digital outputs are the product of “functional” IT.

What we did In the creative industries - Ravensbourne’s specialism - technical innovation has created a plethora of file formats. We established a college-wide group of academics, technical tutors and technicians to make recommendations.

What we are doing We aim to introduce a greater component of elearning into our curriculum. We are revising our recommendations accordingly away from page-friendly to web-friendly.

Some Insights Do not underestimate the challenge. Don’t think you can bolt on re- encoding for preservation. Build it in. Seek consensus. Don’t work in isolation. Involve the right people. Always consider the difference between preservation and intention.

Recommended Approach Don’t invent standards; Use existing standards! Is there free, open source software for reading and writing the format? Beware of DRM; Think about licensing.

Useful side-effects Moving the emphasis from particular applications to particular file formats empowers learners to choose software tools that suit them. Involving learners in producing and managing archival material provides them with valuable knowledge and skills for the future.

Summary Don’t delay - institutions need to develop systematic, usable approaches to storing digital outputs. Involve the right people. Always consider the intention.

Into the Future It’s interesting to speculate why so little attention is paid to digital formats - more research is needed. Organisations like JISC and CETIS can help. Sector consensus may emerge through publishing your recommendations online.

Who Gives a Format?