The Digital POWRR Project (Preserving digital Objects with Restricted Resources) is pleased to announce the continuation of the POWRR workshops for the next two years. The project, From Theory to Action: Extending the Reach of Digital POWRR Preservation Workshops, has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Celebrating 50 years of Excellence. The grant will allow the POWRR Project to update, develop, and present a minimum of six workshops on digital preservation for archivists, librarians, and other cultural heritage professionals, aimed particularly at those from small and medium-sized institutions.
The Digital POWRR Project began as an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)- funded grant study to explore practical and pragmatic solutions to digital preservation at under-funded institutions. During the course of our study, Digital POWRR Project team members realized that many information professionals felt overwhelmed by the scope of the problem. This prevented them from moving forward with implementing digital preservation activities. We found that digital preservation is best thought of as an incremental, ongoing, and ever-shifting set of actions, reactions, workflows, and policies. We can start performing digital preservation activities by taking small steps to prioritize and triage digital collections, while working to build awareness and advocate for resources.
We prepared a workshop curriculum based off these findings and presented it to several groups of information professionals as part of the project’s dissemination phase. Much to our surprise, the registration for these workshops filled up quickly and created a long waiting list of eager professionals trying to get into the workshops. Towards the end of the project, organizations of information professionals were still reaching out to team members in hopes to bring the workshop to their area. With the funds of the newly awarded grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access, the workshop can continue providing practical, hands-on solutions to begin digital preservation practices that meet the demands of the information professionals from small and under-funded institutions.
Over the course of the next two years, the POWRR Preservation Workshops will conduct a minimum of six workshops across the country. We will collaborate with regional organizations of information professionals, which will allow us to emphasize outreach to medium-sized and smaller institutions. These organizations will also help us promote the workshops. Should demand permit, the workshops could be repeated back-to-back on subsequent days at each location. Institutions are encouraged to send a single representative in order to maximize the reach to various institutions. The POWRR Project will also have a limited number of travel bursaries available to individuals in need of assistance traveling to the workshops.
Check back here for updates and to see if a workshop is coming to your area!
1 comment
Please come to Northern California! There is a large audience through the California Digital Library, and many smaller institutions that would greatly benefit from your workshop!