From: OII Events
To: OII-Contacts
Sent: 17/01/2006 10:23
Subject: OII News [2006.01.17]: Digital Longevity: Research Directions and
Opportunities


Dear All

Please may we bring to your attention the following forthcoming event:
'Digital Longevity: Research Directions and Opportunities'

Speaker: Seamus Ross, Academic Visitor at Oxford Internet
Institute,
Professor of Humanities Informatics and Digital Curation, and Director
of
Humanities Computing and Information Management at the University of
Glasgow.

Date: 26 Jan 2006, 15:30 - 17:00
Location: Oxford Internet Institute, 1 St Giles, Oxford, OX1 3JS

Attendance: This event is open to the public, if you would like to
attend
please email your name and affiliation to [log in to unmask]

Abstract:
The pervasive dependence of companies and public sector institutions on
information and communication technology (ICT) has transformed the way
we
create, access, use, and need to manage many aspects of our cultural and
scientific heritage. The increasing tendency to represent information
and
knowledge in digital form poses risks to its longevity while at the same
time offering us new opportunities to exploit our heritage for purposes
of
creative activity, wealth generation, research, and public enjoyment.
Long-term access to these digital assets forms both the cornerstone of
future economic growth and development, and the foundation for the
future of
memory. Access over time and space to our heritage represented in
digital
form depends upon how we care for it. The umbrella term 'digital
curation'
encapsulates the many activities involved in caring for digital objects
such
as selection, documentation, management, storage, conservation,
security,
preservation, and provision of access.

After more than twenty years of research in digital curation and
preservation the actual theories, methods, and technologies that can
either
foster or ensure digital longevity remain startlingly limited. There
are
many possible explanations for this situation; for instance, there has
been
a lack of appreciation of the research challenges posed by digital
preservation, a lack of a sense of urgency, the lack of proven business
cases which might have encouraged the development of this as a research
or
technology sector, the fact that in the past the research agenda has
been
driven by information professionals working in memory institutions or
corporate records management teams, the limited funding for this kind of
research, and, of course, the speed of technological development.
Changes
in the research and technology landscape are increasing research
interest in
the challenges surrounding digital curation and made it evident that
there
are substantial commercial opportunities.

The paper after briefly sketching the digital curation problem surveys
the
current research and development activities aimed at addressing the
obstacles to digital longevity and then moves to its main focus on the
key
research challenges-theoretical, methodological, and technological-that
need
attention during the coming five to ten years if we are to ensure that
our
digital heritage is sustainable, authentic, and accessible over time.

Biography:
Seamus Ross, Professor of Humanities Informatics and Digital Curation,
and
Director of Humanities Computing and Information Management at the
University of Glasgow, runs HATII (Humanities Advanced Technology and
Information Institute) (http://www.hatii.arts.gla.ac.uk) of which he is
the
founding director. He is an Associate Director of the Digital Curation
Centre in the UK (http://www.dcc.ac.uk) and a co-principal investigator
in
the DELOS Digital Libraries Network of Excellence with responsibility
for
its digital preservation cluster (http://www.dpc.delos.ac.uk). He
continues
to act as Principal Director of ERPANET (Electronic Resource
Preservation
and Network) (IST-2001-32706) a European Commission activity to enhance
the
preservation of cultural heritage and scientific digital objects
(http://www.erpanet.org) and to support the continuation of The Digital
Culture Forum (DigiCULT Forum, IST-2001-34898), which works to improve
the
take-up of cutting edge research and technology by the cultural heritage
sector (http://www.digicult.info). Before joining the University of
Glasgow
he was Head of ICT at the British Academy and a technologist at a
company
specialising in knowledge engineering. He earned a doctorate from the
University of Oxford. Some of his publications are available at
http://eprints.erpanet.org. During 2005-6 academic year he is Academic
Visitor at the Oxford Internet Institute.

For further information on all OII events, please refer to our website
at
www.oii.ox.ac.uk
 
Kind regards
The Events Team

Oxford Internet Institute
1 St Giles
University of Oxford
Oxford
OX1 3JS

Tel: +44 (0)1865 287209
Fax: +44 (0)1865 287211

www.oii.ox.ac.uk






--
This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous
content by the NorMAN MailScanner Service and is believed
to be clean.

The NorMAN MailScanner Service is operated by Information
Systems and Services, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.


====
This e-mail is intended solely for the addressee. It may contain private and
confidential information. If you are not the intended addressee, please take
no action based on it nor show a copy to anyone. Please reply to this e-mail
to highlight the error. You should also be aware that all electronic mail
from, to, or within Northumbria University may be the subject of a request
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and related legislation, and
therefore may be required to be disclosed to third parties.
This e-mail and attachments have been scanned for viruses prior to leaving
Northumbria University. Northumbria University will not be liable for any
losses as a result of any viruses being passed on.

************************************************************************************
Distributed through Cyber-Society-Live [CSL]: CSL is a moderated discussion
list made up of people who are interested in the interdisciplinary academic
study of Cyber Society in all its manifestations.To join the list please visit:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/cyber-society-live.html
*************************************************************************************