DigCurV Observes the Digital Preservation Outreach and Education programme at the Library of Congress, Washington D.C.
The Library of Congress held its first ‘Digital Preservation Outreach and Education (DPOE) Baseline Workshop ’ in Washington D.C., 20 – 23 September 2011. DigCurV team member Laura Molloy, University of Glasgow, attended the workshop to observe proceedings.
Twenty-four students with some awareness of digital preservation issues and community-based training were selected from applicants from across the USA. The students represented diverse cultural heritage institutions such as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, various regional historical societies, state archives as well as university and public libraries and came to the workshop from as far afield as Hawaii, Maine, New York, Idaho and Florida.
A team of six trainers, lead by Dr Nancy Y McGovern, each presented a core aspect of digital preservation in a structured series of modules. Trainers each supervised a group of students as they adapted the training materials to their regional needs, ready for delivery in their home regions in early 2012. The aim of the Baseline Workshop is to build capacity in digital preservation training across the US by employing this ‘train-the-trainer’ approach. There are plans for a further event in 2012.
As DigCurV works towards the goal of establishing a curriculum framework for vocational training in digital curation, team members recognise that the DPOE programme is working in similar areas in a US context. We hope that collaboration and communication will enrich the work of both initiatives.
For more information about the Library of Congress DPOE programme, please visit http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/education/