metaarchive cooperative: a collaborative model for digital preservation
DESCRIPTION
Katherine Skinner Executive Director, Educopia Institute Program Manager, MetaArchive Cooperative. MetaArchive Cooperative: A Collaborative Model for Digital Preservation. An Age of Discovery, ARL-CNI Washington D.C. Friday, October 16, 2009. Central topics. Why do we need to collaborate? - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Katherine SkinnerExecutive Director, Educopia InstituteProgram Manager, MetaArchive Cooperative
An Age of Discovery, ARL-CNIWashington D.C.Friday, October 16, 2009
Why do we need to collaborate?What are some basic principles of
collaborative networking?What do they look like in practice?
MetaArchive Cooperative
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Collections Books, journals, newspapers, unique
items, etc.Services
Building, disseminating, and preserving collections▪ Once solitary; now defies such boundaries▪ Competition vs. collaboration issue▪ Viability at stake
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Adjust to a more collaborative mindset to accomplish two preservation goals:1. To preserve the digital collections we create▪ Maintain integrity so that we can continue to
access both “born digital” and digitized materials
2. To preserve our own institutional missions▪ Outsourcing a core mission is a dangerous
proposition
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Collaborative Network: An association of autonomous entities collaborating to achieve common or compatible goals.
Source: Wikipedia.org
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FLEXIBILITY FRAGILITY
Enables communities to work together on a common solution to a common problem
Demands attention to organizational structure in order to work
Requires three key elements: A common cause Solid institutional buy-in Attention to the organizational arrangement that governs the
partnershipsMetaArchive - ARL-CNI 2009 - 10/16/09 6
Management of… Accountability
How do you allocate responsibility and tasks Legitimacy
How do you assure members of your clout and value Conflict
How do you settle disputes and issues of authority Commitment
What carrots can you use for enticement and motivation Design
How do you set up and maintain your management structure (distributed, centralized)
Source: Milward and Provan. A Manager's Guide to Choosing and Using Collaborative Networks, 2006
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A distributed digital preservation cooperative for digital archives, based on LOCKSS
Founded in 2003; supported by combination of sponsored funding (NDIIPP, NHPRC), consulting fees, and membership fees
Provides digital preservation infrastructure and training and models to enable other groups to establish similar networks
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12 US Members+ Lib. of Congress
2 Overseas Members
Auburn University Boston College Clemson University Emory University Florida State Univ. Folger Shakespeare
Lib. Georgia Tech Pontifícia
Universidade Católica Rice University
Univ. of Hull Univ. of Louisville Univ. of North Texas Univ. of South
Carolina Virginia Tech
Library of Congress NDLTD SDSC
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CollectionsTechnical InfrastructureOrganizational Infrastructure
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Format-agnostic solutionSubject- and genre-based archives
Southern Digital Culture Electronic Theses and Dissertations TransAtlantic Slave Trade Early Modern Literature Newspapers (coming soon)
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MetaArchive provides a cost-effective cooperative structure: secure distributed digital preservation of
archives based on re-use of LOCKSS for archives
Network participation as a MetaArchive-LOCKSS cache is simple and cheapMetaArchive - ARL-CNI 2009 - 10/16/09 1
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Preservation solution needed a long-term, sustainable infrastructure Question arose: Who’s in charge of a Cooperative
of peer institutions? Sought guidance
legal team, librarians, archivists, and IP specialists
Created core structure in 2006: charter, membership agreement, papers of
incorporation, business plans, etc.MetaArchive - ARL-CNI 2009 - 10/16/09 1
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Separating the administrative apparatus and member institutions
provides a clear line of leadership and responsibility
helps to keep any one member’s goals from unduly influencing the cooperative’s direction
gives leverage for external partnerships
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reducing our short- and long-term costs Investing in a commonly-owned solution, not purchasing a
service Sharing technological development and organizational tasks
decentralizing our activities Safety in this “brave new world” of digital preservation may
well reside in shared knowledge and shared commitment
decreasing dependence on third-party solutions There is room for various types of solutions Increased capacity for acting as a community of cultural
stewards
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Outsourcing core services = risky proposition
Core missions: Building collections Disseminating collections Preserving collections
Cannot focus on the collections at the expense of the services … need both in order to carry our missions forward
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