1. Digital preservation challenges and actions at European level
Pat Manson Head of Unit Technology-enhanced Learning; Cultural Heritage

2. Directorate E Interfaces, Knowledge Content Technologies, Applications, Information Market

3. Digital preservation challenges and actions at European level
Outline of presentation
Our view of the challenges and problems
Initiatives taken to date
Potential and directions for future actions

4. Digital preservation challenges and actions at European level
Our societal memory and knowledge informs the future through
Statements of achievements and progress
Resources for study and learning
Means of protecting individual and corporate rights
Instruments of public accountability

5. Digital preservation challenges and actions at European level
Recognition of the digital preservation problem
Essential to society
Impact of failure - loss of knowledge for research, for functioning of our societies, for commercial interests
Getting commitment & awareness of all stakeholders
Political / policy support and funding

6. Challenges
Develop more coordinated approaches and strategies at European level – counter fragmentation
Council Resolution on Preserving Tomorrow’s Memory
Needs follow up – at Member State and EU level
Promote good practice and share experience
Between institutions & across institutional boundaries
Advocacy through leadership
But share ownership of common issues
Expand constituency – develop critical mass and leverage

7. Challenges Recognise need for pro-active action
Digital preservation cannot be done by accident
Avoid temptation to postpone the problem – “technology will provide” or “someone else’s problem really”
Loss in some contexts is time-critical
Audio visual archives – specific time deadlines
Endangered materials – physical deterioration
Technical obsolescence
Need for cost-effective migration strategies

8. Digital preservation is necessary – then what?
New mechanisms and agreements to regulate deposit and storage
Trusted repositories – organisational and technical issues
Selection of contents for retention – how and who has the responsibility?
Improve understanding and measures for risk of loss – and how to accommodate this risk

9. Balancing rights of today’s creators with those of tomorrow’s users
IPR and copyright
Impacts on survivability by:
Creating barriers to essential rescue digitisation campaigns – identification of rights holders and clearance of rights
Copyright provisions – may restrict or inhibit copying essential for archival management and maintenance
Embedded DRM systems – how to ensure future accessibility
Balancing rights of today’s creators with those of tomorrow’s users

10. Technology challenges
Nature of digital material
Easily created, quickly accessed & disseminated but short-lived and fragile
Managing technological obsolescence
Dynamic objects
Distributed, subject to change, driven by user interactions
Providing and understanding context & meaning
Future digital artefact v re-use/exploitation with future tools

11. Existing actions at European level
Previous RTD programmes
Experimental test-bed to develop and test concepts (NEDLIB)
European knowledge base and promotion of good practice/awareness (ERPANET)
Supporting migration to digital formats for audio-visual and film archives (PRESTO/SPACE, BRAVA, FIRST)
Development of digital preservation research agenda and pooling research interests (DELOS)
Supporting coordination between Member States – LUND process & MINERVA and adoption of Firenze Agenda

12. Both require work on metadata for context and meaning
Information Society Technologies research programme – workprogramme
“Aim is to develop systems and tools which will support the accessibility and use over time of cultural and scientific resources”
Supporting the increasingly complex focus for applications from:
Access  new environments for use and experiences  increasing creative exploitation
Handling increasingly complex objects – non-textual, multiple formats
Both require work on metadata for context and meaning

13. IST Workprogramme 2005-2006 Digital preservation research
Shorter term
Experimental platforms, empirical research on solutions. Focus on current state of the art and “stable” documents, but in multiple formats and multi-sourced
Web archiving
Alliances / partnerships technology providers & developers, & research community (archival, information management, computer science)
Anticipate best solved through Integrated Projects

14. IST Workprogramme 2005-2006 Digital preservation research
Longer term
More dynamic and interactive content; v. large volumes; projecting concepts for solutions over longer timescales
Re-evaluation of concepts; links to cognitive systems
Develop nucleus and mobilise potential research actors at European level

15. Some Conclusions We still need advocacy Form alliances
Develop initiatives at national level and at institutional level
Mix of organisational change, input to (regulatory) frameworks, best practices, research
Opportunities exist at EU level – use them

16. Further References
European Commission
Directorate-General Information Societey
Unit Technology-enhanced learning; Cultural Heritage
L-2920 Luxembourg
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