Dates: September 16, October 14, November 18, December 16
Time: 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Location: online via Zoom
Facilitators: Jen Palmentiero, Southeastern; Palash Bosgang, Bard College; Kim Gianfrancesco, Vassar College
Do you have digital photos, videos, or files stored on your computers, hard drives, or in the cloud? Let’s talk about how to care for valuable digital assets in this 4-part series, where we will explore and explain the tools and good practices to help organize, care for, and preserve digital files for the long-term.
Participants will learn how to identify, organize, package, store, and evaluate digital materials using approachable tools and preservation frameworks. Each session combines conceptual grounding with applied activities participants can immediately use in their own work.
Optional “Open office hours” in between sessions will be available for participants to ask questions and get support for their specific needs.
Session 1: Know Your Data
September 16, 1:30-3:00pm
Optional office hours: September 30, 2:00-3:00pm
Core question: What digital materials do I have and what risks do they face?
Let’s work together to identify our landscape: file types, sizes and storage locations. This is the first step in preserving our data and will form the foundation for next steps.
We will:
- Identify file formats and preservation concerns
- Map where digital assets are currently stored
- Begin drafting an inventory with at least one digital collection
Session 2: Package Your Data
October 14, 1:30-3:00pm
Optional office hours: October 28, 2:00-3:00pm
Core question: How can I prepare digital materials for safe transfer and long term preservation?
Packaging your data allows you to safely store your assets, move your assets and verify your files haven’t changed over time.
We will:
- Discuss what a package is and why packaging matters
- Introduce fixity/checksums
- Create a package using common (and free!) tools
Session 3: Store Your Data
November 18, 1:30-3:00pm
Optional office hours: December 2, 2:00-3:00pm
Core question: How do we store digital materials responsibly over time?
Storing your data packages in multiple environments helps secure assets.
We will:
- Compare storage environments and preservation risks
- Discuss redundancy and geographic distribution
- Discuss why copies alone are not enough without monitoring and organizaiton
- Learn how fixity checking supports long-term integrity
Session 4: Manage Your Data
December 16, 1:30-3:00pm
Optional office hours: January 6, 2:00-3:00pm
Core question: How do we assess and improve our preservation practices over time?
Now that you have done some work, we’ll look at the National Digital Stewardship Alliance’s Levels of Preservation to set a benchmark and plan for the future management of your digital assets.
We will:
- Introduce and explore The Levels of Digital Preservation
- Use The Levels to assess current practice
- Identify realistic next steps for growth