Performances, preservation and policy implications: digital curation and preservation awareness and strategy in the performing arts
- 1. Performance, preservation and policy: digital curation and preservation awareness and strategy in the performing arts Laura Molloy Digital Curation Centre HATII, University of Glasgow E: laura.molloy AT glasgow.ac.uk / @LM_HATII DPASSH, Dublin. Friday 26 June 2015
- 2. DC/DP skills development resources for the performing arts Existing research and initiatives: • There’s not much • Mostly focused on research and practice within institutional context – Notable exception: InterPARES • Some fixed-term projects but little sign of uptake / routine inclusion in education
- 3. digital objects in the performing arts objects created in order to serve as documentation of performance What I’m on about today. (P.S. Not to scale.) Digital documentation – just part of the picture.
- 4. Image: Ed Fay: @digitalfay
- 5. Definitions. (Yay.) • The performing arts • Practitioner (self-employed) • Digital object • Digital curation and preservation
- 7. Practitioner-focused study: selected findings Respondent profile: • Small study (not representative of the entire professional sector) • Currently working in UK • Self-defined artforms • Most work in multiple artforms • 8/12 self funding; 9/12 public / charity funded
- 8. Practitioner focused study: selected findings Digital object (DO) creation and use: • Widespread: 11/12 create and all (12/12) use • 10/12 report valued specific use for preserved DOs = economic benefit
- 9. Practitioner focused study: selected findings ‘Preservation’ of performance work: • 9/12: uncertainty displayed re. ‘preservation’ • All believe practitioners en masse should preserve (at least in some contexts) • 11/12 believe they preserve own work • 8/12 put things in a cardboard box • 7/12 conflate creation and preservation of documentation
- 10. Practitioner focused study: selected findings Access to DOs created by self and others: • 9/12 rate access to digital collections ‘somewhat’ or ‘extremely’ important to their workflow • 8/12 expect their DOs to be available in perpetuity / as long as desired • 10/12 in favour of access by other practitioners for research
- 11. Practitioner focused study: emerging themes • No relationship between artform and level of DC/DP skill / knowledge; or between creation of born-digital work and DC/DP knowledge • PA practitioners: active in creation and use of DOs – In favour of access to DOs for community of practice – Expect DOs to exist in perpetuity – BUT low levels of DC/DP awareness and skill = suggests awareness and skills gap across community of practice
- 12. Practitioner focused study: emerging recommendations • Uptake of existing skills development resources in FE/HE PA education • Need for advocacy to FE/HE, creative funders, PA representative organisations • Need for good practice expectations / policy from funders for practitioner use • Guidance for sustainable DO management available from funders as part of bidding process • Anything else?
- 13. Thanks for your attention! Laura Molloy Digital Curation Centre HATII, University of Glasgow E: laura.molloy AT glasgow.ac.uk @LM_HATII