Digital Preservation Depicted in (Weirdly) Varied Images

We have noted earlier in this blog that digital preservation terminology is hard to pin down with precision. There are seemingly as many interpretations of  “authenticity” and “repository” as there are digital preservation practitioners.

locksscat, by freerangelibrarian, on Flickr

locksscat, by freerangelibrarian, on Flickr

Digital preservation as a concept actually has even more plasticity when viewed through the lens of popular culture.  I did a quick search on Flickr for “digital preservation” (focusing only on Creative Commons-licensed content with permission to modify, adapt, or build upon) and found a mind-bending array of photographs.  Some had a connection with preserving digital content, but from an offbeat perspective–including that of a Lolcat.

Others illustrated digital preservation concepts in an amusing way, including “Post-it bit rot,” as in “Wait! What’s that white space in the lower right? Oh no! Post-it Bit rot!”  This might be the ultimate inside joke for digital archivists, unless someone has visualized “ingest” in an irreverent manner.  But then, if so, it might be best kept off Flickr.

The danger of digital 1, by Wild Guru Larry, on Flickr

The danger of digital 1, by Wild Guru Larry, on Flickr

I will confess to have uploaded many images tagged with digital preservation.  Many of these are from personal digital archiving outreach that the Library of Congress does in conjunction with the American Library Association’s Preservation Week and our own National Book Festival. The pictures show my colleagues talking to people about how to care for their digital photos or other content.

Another popular type of shot from our outreach events involves people–especially children–puzzling over old computer hardware or storage media.  Kids inevitably have no idea what a 5.25″ floppy disk is, much less a reel of tape or stack of punch cards. I like to think pictures showing this illustrate the eventual fate of all digital storage, including what is now the newest of the new.

Kids look at exhibits during Library of Congress 2011 National Book Festival, by wlef on Flickr

Kids look at exhibits during Library of Congress 2011 National Book Festival, by wlef on Flickr

Plenty of pictures tagged with digital preservation show earnest presentations at professional conferences (ideally with an interesting slide in the background).  There are also the inescapable depictions of scanning analog originals, which cause me to sigh, because as we all know, digital scanning is not digital preservation.

Digitization Lab, by Binghampton University Libraries; Preservation of Digital Television, by kara_vanmalssen, both on Flickr

Digitization Lab, by Binghampton University Libraries; Preservation of Digital Television, by kara_vanmalssen, both on Flickr

Using digital means to document cultural activities, particularly the life and customs of indigenous populations around the world, is commonly seen as as digital preservation.  Really what is taking place, of course, is capturing a record, which itself needs careful preservation.

Richardson Dances for the Queen Mother; jembefola; both by oneVilliage Initiative

Richardson Dances for the Queen Mother; jembefola; both by oneVilliage Initiative

jonathan & douglas & computer pop-up book, by Somaya, on Flickr

jonathan & douglas & computer pop-up book, by Somaya, on Flickr

And then, there are photos associated with digital preservation that just seem–odd.  I quite like the giant pop-up book shown at the right, for example, but it’s relationship to the subject at hand isn’t readily apparent.

Perhaps it’s the most user-friendly computer manual in existence.  Or maybe it’s meant to preserve a digital object by rendering it in analog form–reverse digital reformatting, if you will.

All this is slightly disconcerting to me, and maybe to others, who have a narrower view of what digital preservation means.   But we have to get over it.  As time passes, popular culture will continue to expand and play with the notion of digital preservation.  All we can do is grin and do our best to assert some context when we absolutely have to.

NDSA Primer: the Content Working Group

This is the first in a series of articles that takes a closer look at the National Digital Stewardship Alliance. The National Digital Stewardship Alliance is rooted in the work of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program. The NDSA is open to any organization committed to digital preservation, and each of its diverse …

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Who Do You Want to Be Today?

I lead a group that develops software for the management, preservation and delivery of digital collections.  In some organizations, digital preservation is part of the physical preservation unit.  In some organizations, software development is part of the systems office.  Or software development might be part of a central IT unit. I work with colleagues who …

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Learning to Live With Failures With A Little Help From Redundancy and Diversity

The following is a guest post from Andrea Goethals, digital preservation and repository services manager at the Harvard University library. This post is similar to a presentation I gave as part of a panel called “Assessing and Mitigating Bit-Level Preservation Risks” at DigitalPreservation 2012. It grew out of conversations and work within the NDSA Infrastructure …

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Back to School: Students Archiving the Web

“Do you remember how we did things back when your great great grandma or grandpa [were alive]? We had moved Native Americans from their homelands, so we could have more and more land for ourselves.” The above reference describes the Whitefish Middle School’s Montana Indian Tribes, Modern Life, 2010-2011 Web Archiving Collection. This unique collection, …

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Preserving Digital Culture: Art, Theater, Video Games and More

The following is a guest post by Emily Reynolds, a 2012 Junior Fellow. One of the many highlights of the DigitalPreservation 2012 conference last month was the Preserving Digital Culture panel, which featured speakers discussing the preservation of born-digital art and other creative output.  While much of the conference addressed the often automated management of …

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More Product, Less Process for Born-Digital Collections: Reflections on CurateCamp Processing

The following is a guest post from  Meg Phillips, Electronic Records Lifecycle Coordinator for the National Archives and Records Administration. “What’s the bare minimum I can responsibly do with my electronic stuff?” was one of the central questions on the table at  CurateCamp Processing. The unconference,  focused on Processing Data / Processing Collections, was a …

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Getting the DigPres411: An Interview with Lisa Gregory of State Library of North Carolina

The five recipients of the inaugural National Digital Stewardship Alliance innovation awards are exemplars of the creativity, diversity and collaboration essential to supporting the digital community as it works to preserve and make available digital materials. In an effort to learn more and share the work of the individuals, projects and institutions who won these …

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Digital Preservation Pioneer: Anne R. Kenney

“Technology has had most of the attention in digital preservation but it is the least of our concerns,” said Anne R. Kenney. That’s a bold declaration. But Kenney has earned the right to make it, based on her 25 years at Cornell University Library, conducting ground-breaking digital research, creating award-winning training resources and fostering national …

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