This presentation was delivered by Angela Dappert (British Library) at PERICLES final project conference 'Acting on Change: New Approaches and Future Practices in LTDP' (Wellcome Collection Conference Centre, London, 30 Nov -1 Dec 2016). This thematic session was also joined by Matthew Addis (Arkivum), Dan Gillean (Artefactual), Jenny Mitcham (University of York), and Rob Baxter (University of Edinburgh/PERICLES). According to the DCMM (Digital Preservation Capability Maturity Model ©) newsletter in January 2016, “There are positive signs that digital preservation is finally entering the mainstream of professional practice and information technology infrastructure.” The accelerating impact of change on long-term preservation might contradict the optimisms that we are coming closer to bridging the digital preservation capability gap between the problem owners and the solution providers. A lot of cutting-edge technology and research has been done out there over the past decade to support preservation, but who is ready to take on the risk of being an early adopter of cutting-edge solutions? When it seems many organisations are still struggling to understand what they need to be doing and what fits their context and purposes. So what does it take to close that chasm? What type of collaborations are needed? Are we ready to build that bridge? http://pericles-project.eu/

1. Capability gap
- Preservation isn't just
throwing tools at the problem
Angela Dappert,
The British Library
• Difficulties in using and adopting established
metadata,
policies,
best practice,
workflows,
tools, …

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Emerging community consensus
Information you need to know
for preserving digital objects
Preservation Metadata:
Implementation Strategies

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Including all

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Different communication needs

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Different communication needs

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Making a standard your own
vs. making your own standard

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Coming up with a new solution can be easier
than adopting an existing one
the
solution
itself
operating
the
solution
migrating
to future
platforms
added
services
data,
metadata
or
software
exchange
developing
community
…
the
solution
itself

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Expectations

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Perceptions

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Narrowing down solutions -> profiles
Established solution
Specific domain application
Implementation
Specificfunctionality
Broad applicability
metadata,
policies,
best practice,
workflows,
tools, …
Database to
archive, ..
Specific
implementation

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Abstracting away our differences through
technology
Tree structures
Semantic interpretations
Function 1
Variant
1
Variant
2
Function 2
Variant
1
Variant
2
Variants of
basic
functionality
Modular
functions
Semantic
interpretations
Computational
data structures

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Combining solutions is hard

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Issues
• Raise awareness of the need for and
the availability of long-term solutions
• Transfer awareness, knowledge, and best practice
• Identify intrinsic and perceived differences
• Map local implementations to abstracted IT solutions
• Make solutions shareable and accepted
• Design appropriately modularised and easily configurable tools
• Spread adoption beyond our own echo chambers

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Thank you