Developing a training course at the University of Turin Presentation by Maurizio Vivarelli, Maria Cassella and Federico Valacchi, University of Turin at the DigCurV International Conference; Framing the digital curation curriculum

1. The digital curator between continuity
and change: developing a training
course at the University of Turin
Maurizio Vivarelli, Maria Cassella
Federico Valacchi
Framing the digital curator curriculum
Florence, 6-7 May 2013

2. Cultural heritage in digital age
 Meeting point of intersection between technology and disciplinary
traditions
 Added cultural value by linking disparate digital datasets
 Appraises data and data sets for enduring value in the context of
archives and cultural heritage
 Explores the creation of new relationships and knowledge by adding
social value to the cultural digital object
 Different disciplines = different techniques
 FIDO

3. Information professionals in digital age
 New roles evolving in libraries, archives, and museums
See: JobList of American Library Association
Issue of recongnition of these new roles
 Higher complexity = more inter-disciplinary and group work necessary
 Subject-domain knowledge is the prerequisite to successfully perform
digital curation

4. The information professionals evolving
scenario in Italy
Growing need to explore the convergence among information
professionals
2010: in Piedmont ANAI, ICOM, and AIB founded MAB (Musei, Archivi,
Biblioteche) a political regional coordination of the 3 associations
representing archivists, museum specialists and librarians in Italy
2011: the MAB became a permanent national coordination
•Goal:
 to promote discussions on topics interesting the three
professional associations
 to foster interoperability at political level and common
strategies for the future of information professionals in Italy
Identity issues

5. MAB screenshot

6. Digital Curation: the emergence of a new
discipline
• The term “Digital Curation” was first used at the "Digital Curation: digital
archives, libraries and e-science” seminar on the 19th October 2001
• Initially digital preservation is seen as the strategic aspect in digital
curation
• Later on the term “has been used to refer to the maintenance of big
research data and other digital materials over their entire life-cycle and
over time for current and future generations of users” (Beagrie, 2006):
•
 from the creation to the preservation and storage till the idea of re-use of
digital assets and research data;
 currently the concept of digital curation also includes the idea of added value
to the management of digital materials

7. The DCC Curation Lifecycle Model
• DCC Curation Lifecycle Model provides a graphical,
high-level overview of the stages required
for successful digital curation:
• Lifecycle actions:
• Description and representation
• Preservation planning
• Community watch and participation
• Curate and preserve

8. Digital curation and digital preservation in
Italy
• Scarce attention to the issues of digital curation and
digital preservation
Magazzini digitali launched in 2006
Coordinated by the National Library of Florence, supported by
the Fondazione Rinascimento Digitale
Linked to the digital legal deposit (L. 106/2004)
http://www.depositolegale.it/
• Necessity to raise awareness on digital curation
both at national and institutional level

9. The challenge of training digital curators in
Italy
• Academic curricula scenario is unclear and fragmented
 After the introduction of the law 240/2010 closure of most
degree courses devoted to LIS and Archival science
 Majority of remaining courses relegate Archival science and
LIS to the Humanities
 A few masters concentrate on the digital themes
(Macerata/Padova, Parma)
No first level graduate course is specifically available for
digital curators

10. University of Turin and
Digitization Projects
• University of Turin: 60,000 FTE
• 6 schools
• 27 Departments
• 2012: the University Library System launches DigitUnito, a
web platform to give access to the digital cultural objects of
the University of Turin
 DigitUnito is powered by the Open Source software Omeka,
developed by the George Mason University
 It is a multifunction platform: gives access to library and archive
digital materials

11. Omeka

12. Developing a training course
for digital curators at the University of
Turin• Need to train digital curators to support digitization projects of University
Libraries
 Course aim is to train information professionals at executive level
 More flexible than a master
• Need to keep low fees and to respond to rapid developments in practice
and standards for digital libraries
The decision to launch the training course is also consistent with the
expectation that according to the United States “Occupational
Outlook Handbook”, 2010-11 Edition, digital curation will increase by
23% between 2008 and 2018
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/

13. The course curriculum
• 600 hours = teaching and personal work
 6 modules: 1. The document in transition from analog to digital 2. The cultural
heritage and the digital perspective 3. Metadata, standards and tools for
digitization projects 4. Communication in digital age 5. Preservation in digital
age 5.1 Access and licensing rights 6. Case studies and best practices
 2 laboratories: provide hands-on experience
 5 internships in university and non university libraries and at the State
Archive of Turin
• From October 2014 to May 2015 (roughtly two semesters)
 Skills to develop: communicative, group work, legal, digital preservation
policies and standards for digital repositories (the OAIS reference model)
 Competencies to strenghen: subject-domain
 Project management and staffing skills are not included at this level

14. Final considerations
• Digital curation is a staff performed activity
 To successfully manage DigitUnito we collaboratively work with IT and
UniTo Portal Division
• Information professionals are in the best position to become
excellent digital curator. However:
 It is necessary to ensure that “Library “leaders-in-waiting” are given
the appropriate leadership training to equip them to operate in this
data centric world” (Lyon, 2012)
 The understanding of the complex nature of the relationships that
connect documents to the context is to be considered an essential
condition so that information professionals can realize the deep
meaning of working in a digital environment

15. Final considerations
• Digital curators have to learn “to respect both the
physical and the digital, to manage, value and
preserve a wide variety of formats, to identify
connections, to evaluate and select systems that suit
the needs of their institution best, to appreciate and
create relationships among materials, and to imagine
and implement the merging of contexts and the
provision of access” (Harvey, Bastian, 2011)