NDSA has released Levels of Digital Preservation v2.0

Of interest to our Ohio electronic records community, the National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA) has released Levels of Digital Preservation v2.0!

Originally minted in 2013 (original Matrix at NDSA’s OSF site), the Levels of Digital Preservation provide a matrix by which to assess and guide one’s digital preservation program from a technological point of view. In early 2018, the NDSA sent out a call to the larger digital preservation community asking for interest in updating the Levels of Preservation.  Response was high – 125 individuals responded from across North America and beyond! NDSA then convened the Levels of Preservation Working group, which divided up into subgroups to tackle the many areas the community wanted to see addressed in a Levels Reboot. These subgroups included:

  • Revisions: charged with updating the Levels Matrix, including the normalization of language across the functional areas and levels.
  • Implementation: surveyed the community to see how the Levels had been used in the past and what people did and did not liked about its structure and content.  This information (survey results at NDSA’s OSF site) was one of the sources used to assist with the revisions.  This subgroup collaborated with the Revisions subgroup on an implementation guide Using the Levels of Digital Preservation: an overview for V2.0.
  • Assessment: explored how the Levels had been used to assess digital preservation efforts (report at NDSA’s OSF site), and have developed an Assessment Tool based on the updated Levels Matrix. 
  • Curatorial: charged with identifying and crafting the basis of a series of discussion and decision points around how collections materials can be mapped to the Levels and other elements within an organizations’ preservation strategy.  

The next steps will be to create a subgroup to address the development of strategy and additional materials to support the Levels of Digital Preservation v2.0 educational and advocacy efforts. Please contact Bradley Daigle at ndsa.digipres [at] gmail [dot] com if you are interested in working on this or being added to the Levels of Preservation Google Group.

Call for Proposals: Keeping History Alive – Society of Ohio Archivists 2017 Annual Meeting

The 2017 Society of Ohio Archivists’ Annual meeting–Keeping History Alive–will be held Friday, May 19 at the Quest Business and Conference Center, 8405 Pulsar Place, Columbus, OH 43240. Kathleen Williams, Executive Director of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) will be the Plenary Speaker.

Deadline to submit proposals: Monday, January 9, 2017, 5pm.

The SOA 2017 Program Committee seeks a broad array of creative proposals, sessions and posters, related to archival work today and into the future. All proposal topics are welcome.

Possible ideas include, but are not limited to:

  • Tools for archival discovery, maintenance, and/or marketing
  • Outreach and instruction efforts
  • Student, intern, and volunteer experiences and projects
  • Funding for archival projects or archival facilities
  • Unique collection development ventures
  • Preservation, description, and access to analog, born-digital, or hybrid collections

The Program Committee encourages proposals of panel sessions, student and professional posters, as well as alternative formats such as debate, fish bowl, lightning, mini-workshops, pecha kucha, world café, and other session formats that encourage interaction between presenters and attendees.

The Program Committee also encourages proposals from students*, new professionals*, first time presenters and attendees, as well as individuals from related professions, including those from outside of Ohio.

Proposals must include:

  • Session/Poster title and type
  • Abstract of 250 words describing the session/poster and how it will be of interest to SOA attendees
  • Description of 150 words for the printed program
  • Main contact’s information and any other participants
  • A/V or technology requirements
  • Any additional special needs

Please complete the proposal form by Monday, January 9, 2017, 5pm at https://goo.gl/forms/XDyBD72rhRlraMg73

More meeting details will appear as they develop at http://www.ohioarchivists.org/annual_conference/

Questions? Please contact:

Janet Carleton ([email protected]) or Collette McDonough ([email protected])

Cochairs, Society of Ohio Archivists Educational Programming Committee

http://www.ohioarchivists.org/educational-programming/


*Separate from the Call for Proposals, SOA is pleased to announce four scholarships available to students (2 awards), and new archival professionals (2 awards) with three years or less experience in the workplace to attend the annual meeting.

The scholarship consists of conference registration (including lunch), a one-year membership to SOA, and a $100 travel stipend. Awardees are required to write about their experience for publication in the Ohio Archivist newsletter.

Applications should include the following information:

  • Applicant’s name, mailing and e-mail address;
  • Students should list their school’s name and academic program;
  • New professionals should list their employer and number of years working within the field;
  • Description about how the meeting will benefit the applicant professionally;
  • Brief description of the applicant’s scholarship and contribution to archives. This will be taken into consideration along with the applicant’s number of years in the field or academic study;
  • Statement of the applicant’s need for financial support to attend the conference;
  • Applications are due by February 15, 2017.

Applications and inquiries can be sent via e-mail or mail to: Devhra BennettJones, [email protected], Lloyd Library, 917 Plum St, Cincinnati, OH 45202.

Celebrate Electronic Records Day October 10, 2014

Please join the Council of State Archivists (CoSA) in celebrating Electronic Records Day on October 10, 2014. Now in its third year, E-records Day is an opportunity to share information about what you are doing to manage your state’s digital resources and to enlist help in preserving electronic records. This day is designed to raise awareness among state government agencies, the general public, related professional organizations, and other stakeholders about the crucial role electronic records play in their world. Go to Electronic Records Day for more information.