Establishing Digital Preservation At the University of Melbourne

Establishing Digital Preservation At the University of Melbourne. Jaye Weatherburn. Poster, iPres 2016.  (Proceedings p. 274-5 / PDF p. 138).
     The University of Melbourne’s Digital Preservation Strategy is to make the "University’s digital product of enduring value available into the future, thus enabling designated communities to access digital assets of cultural, scholarly, and corporate significance over time". The long-term, ten-year vision of their strategy looks at four interrelated areas in phases over the next three years:

1. Research Outputs
2. Research Data and Records
3. University Records
4. Cultural Collections

The key principles around which action is required: Culture, Policy, Infrastructure, and Organization. The University’s research strategy recognizes the importance of their digital assets by declaring that "the digital research legacy of the University must be showcased, managed, and preserved into the future". The project team members need to start a comprehensive advocacy campaign to illustrate the importance of preservation. Instead of digital preservation being perceived as a bureaucratic and financial burden it needs to be seen as a useful tool for academic branding and profiling, as well as important for the long-term sustainability of their research.

Digital Preservation Matters.