UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Libraries will host a morning of virtual programming Wednesday, Nov. 3, in advance of World Digital Preservation Day. The Libraries’ Digital Preservation Program experts will address ways their work supports the preservation of digital cultural heritage content, access to obsolete content through software emulation, sustainable practices and more.
“Digital preservation will increasingly become a central part of how the University Libraries carries out its mission to collect, organize and ensure long-term durable access to information in all its forms,” said Nathan Tallman, digital preservation librarian.
Participants will learn a variety of ways that the Digital Preservation Program is a center of expertise and a resource for the University community and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for long-term preservation of digital cultural heritage content. Event highlights will include discussion of the Libraries’ digital preservation policy and its digital repository pilot program, a demonstration of how the Libraries can use software emulation to provide access to obsolete digital objects, and a workshop on the environmental impact of digital preservation.
The event, which is open to the public, will be held 9:15 a.m.–noon on Nov. 3. Registration for the virtual event is required.
The University Libraries adopted its official digital preservation policy in January 2021 to delineate and codify the Libraries’ “commitment, support, philosophy and strategies for digital preservation,” and to certify that the policy will be updated over time to provide library users’ continued access to the Libraries’ digital content. The policy text itself includes a robust array of linked resources defining terms related to digital preservation practices.
“The adoption of the digital preservation policy is a milestone achievement for the University Libraries and is the biggest public commitment to date to the ongoing curation of digital content collected by the Libraries,” Tallman said. “As the digital shift continues, the significance of this policy will increase. It's the first public statement of its kind for the Libraries and Penn State. This shows the full circle investment in the digital content lifecycle and will safeguard future collection materials.”
Tallman also is the contact connected to one of the University Libraries’ Library Guides on the topic of personal digital archiving, which covers best practices for topics such as naming files, approaches based on file types, storage options, plus information resources for further reading.
Future events and activities planned for the University Libraries’ Digital Preservation Program include a pilot of LIBSAFE, an advanced digital preservation platform, and graduate student opportunities available via the Libraries’ first digital preservation graduate assistantship.
For more information about World Digital Preservation Day, which is officially celebrated this year on Nov. 4 under the theme of "Breaking Down Barriers,"7 visit the Digital Preservation Coalition website. For more information about Penn State University Libraries’ event on Nov. 3, email Nathan Tallman at ntt7@psu.edu.