1. Methodology: A Case Study
Assessing Digital Curation and Preservation Readiness at the University of Baltimore’s Langsdale Library
Maggie Dull – Langsdale Library, University of Baltimore
Introduction
In order to better understand Langsdale Library’s ability to undertake digital preservation/curation and to allow for the creation of a digital preservation program, this project assessed and discovered what digital preservation and curation means at the University of Baltimore’s Langsdale Library, our stakeholders and resources, and the steps we need to take in order to establish a robust and useful digital preservation program.
Methodology: A Case Study
Literature review on digital preservation in academic libraries and digital preservation assessment.
Limited project’s scope to digital preservation at Langsdale and selected an assessment tool.
Reviewed the stakeholders and resources related to digital preservation at Langsdale.
Conducted Digital Preservation Management’s Survey of Institutional Readiness.
Prepared a final report combining the lit review, stakeholders and resources assessment, and Survey.
Moving Forward
Results
There is a well-illustrated need for digital preservation at Langsdale.
Langsdale is not alone in its prior practice of prioritizing access to digital assets over long-term digital preservation.
Our lack of fully developed policies and our lack of comprehensive digital infrastructure are our two weakest areas.
The materials in our Special Collections and our staff are two of our greatest resources.
Establish a digital preservation program by developing our vision for digital preservation and our goals, taking into account what the assessment revealed about our needs, our strengths, and our most at-risk collections.
Develop digital preservation policies and standards and share these with Langsdale stakeholders for feedback and to continue the conversation on digital preservation that began with the assessment.
Communicate the results of this project with select Langsdale and University of Baltimore stakeholders (e.g. Provost, UB Foundation, etc.).
Conduct the Digital Preservation Capability Maturity Model (DPCMM) to establish a baseline for formal digital preservation assessment. [
Acknowledgements: My thanks to Aiden Faust (Head of Special Collections), Carolyn Cox (Senior IDS Librarian), and Lucy Holman (Dean of the Library) for their assistance and support.