Seamus Ross in Conversation with Charles Dollar

Director of HATII in Conversation with Charles Dollar (founder of NARA's
first electronic records programme and international expert in digital
preservation) on the Development of Thinking on Digital Preservation

Date: 6 December 2004

Time: 12:00 (1 hr)

Venue: Joseph Black BLG, C407

Sponsors: The Humanities Advanced Technology and Information

Institute (HATII), http://www.hatii.arts.gla.ac.uk and The Digital

Curation Centre (DCC), http://www.dcc.ac.uk

Abstract:

Charles Dollar was the first expert to recognise the insurmountable problems
that long-term access to electronic records would pose for institutions and
nations. For more than thirty years through his writings and lectures he has
focused the attention of researchers, archivists and records managers on
meeting the challenges of digital preservation. During this time his efforts
led to the establishing of the National Archives and Records Administration
programme on electronic records, he has advised numerous public and private
organisations on managing electronic records, and as an educator shaped the
intellectual development of many of today's key players in electronic
resource and records preservation. In this conversation with the Director of
HATII he will sketch his ideas on the successes and failures of current work
on digital longevity, describe some of the emerging challenges, and outline
areas for new research. As Charles has always thought 'outside the box'
conversations with him are lively, original, and thought-provoking.
Following the one-hour discussion, there will be an opportunity for students
to ask questions.

Biographical Sketch: Charles Dollar

Dr Charles M. Dollar is an internationally recognized expert on the life
cycle management of electronic records, particularly electronic records
preservation. The author of more than  twenty influential publications and a
frequent speaker on electronic records, Charles worked for more than
twenty-years with electronic records at the National Archives and Records
Administration, acted as a consultant to governments and businesses in the
US, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and been an archival educator at the
University of British Columbia. While he was on thestaff of the National
Archives, Dr. Dollar organized and directed the first electronic records
program for the U.S. federal government and subsequently had a major role in
research projects on digital technology standards, digital storage media,
and digital imaging applications in electronic records preservation. Among
his award winning publications are The Impact of Information Technologies on
Archival Principles and Methods (1992) and Authentic Electronic Records:
Long-Term Access Strategies (1999).

Professor Seamus Ross is Director, HATII, and DCC Associate Director
(Services Definition & Delivery).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robin Rice
Data Librarian
Edinburgh University Data Library
http://datalib.ed.ac.uk/
Phase One Project Coordinator
Digital Curation Centre, www.dcc.ac.uk
+44 (0) 131 651 1431
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~