Location
KIPJ Room G
Session Type
45-minute concurrent session
Start Date
2-5-2017 3:25 PM
End Date
2-5-2017 4:10 PM
Keywords
Digital forensics, digital archives, born-digital, acquisitions, sustainability, curatorial practice
Abstract
In 2016, UCLA Library Special Collections embarked on a project to implement a comprehensive digital archives program. Because the overall goal is a program that enables us to programmatically and sustainably managing our born-digital material, a major focus during the first phase of this project has been on training and outreach to LSC staff. This is has been especially important with regard to our curators: the unique concerns associated with stewarding born-digital require the collection of specific contextual and technical information during the acquisitions process. To meet this need, LSC created an easy-to-use survey that would allow curators to systematically record this information about the digital material they acquire.
The Digital Materials Survey asks questions designed to help processors accurately assess the scope, content, and condition of the materials being acquired, and enables LSC to identify any privacy or preservation concerns. Since its implementation in the fall of 2016, the survey has dramatically improved both the quality and quantity of information about the digital materials LSC acquires.
Presenters will cover the survey’s impetus, describe its role in acquisition and collection management at LSC, discuss how it has contributed to the digital archive program’s overall sustainability, and share lessons learned during its creation and implementation. Particular emphasis will be placed on the collaborative nature of this endeavor--both in terms of the survey’s origins as a graduate student project in LSC’s Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), and the coordination required to successfully incorporate the survey into standard curatorial practice.
Creative Commons License
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The More You Know: Designing and Implementing a Digital Materials Survey in UCLA Library Special Collections
KIPJ Room G
In 2016, UCLA Library Special Collections embarked on a project to implement a comprehensive digital archives program. Because the overall goal is a program that enables us to programmatically and sustainably managing our born-digital material, a major focus during the first phase of this project has been on training and outreach to LSC staff. This is has been especially important with regard to our curators: the unique concerns associated with stewarding born-digital require the collection of specific contextual and technical information during the acquisitions process. To meet this need, LSC created an easy-to-use survey that would allow curators to systematically record this information about the digital material they acquire.
The Digital Materials Survey asks questions designed to help processors accurately assess the scope, content, and condition of the materials being acquired, and enables LSC to identify any privacy or preservation concerns. Since its implementation in the fall of 2016, the survey has dramatically improved both the quality and quantity of information about the digital materials LSC acquires.
Presenters will cover the survey’s impetus, describe its role in acquisition and collection management at LSC, discuss how it has contributed to the digital archive program’s overall sustainability, and share lessons learned during its creation and implementation. Particular emphasis will be placed on the collaborative nature of this endeavor--both in terms of the survey’s origins as a graduate student project in LSC’s Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), and the coordination required to successfully incorporate the survey into standard curatorial practice.