Memoriav Conference
Source Photo: Memoriav Conference
The past Memoriav conference "Too Big to Archive?" provided valuable insights into the challenges and strategies archives face when dealing with large amounts of data. Various experts presented their experiences and best-practice approaches.
Here are my findings and learnings:
- Importance of preservation and readability: The preservation of digital content is just as important as its technical and cultural readability. This includes not only the ability to open digital content with existing technology but also understanding their cultural significance.
- Standardization and metadata: Uniform standards in coding, naming, and specification are crucial for the organization and accessibility of the holdings. Providing sufficient and accurate metadata is also central, especially with images.
- Resource management and prioritization: Due to limited resources, it is necessary to carefully select which materials are physically stored and which are digitized. Intellectual analyses take precedence over technical and statistical analyses.
- Application of AI: The use of Artificial Intelligence can significantly increase the efficiency of archive processes, but it also poses risks regarding legal and ethical issues.
- Rapid collection: In times when content is quickly created and disappears just as quickly, timely collection ("collect now – ask later") is of great importance. The associated challenge, however, is deciding which events are so significant that they require an immediate response.
- Collaboration and diversity: Cooperation within and between institutions, as well as diversity in the team, are crucial to identify blind spots and make a representative selection.
The conference has shown me that despite the enormous challenges of archiving large amounts of data, solutions are possible that ensure both the preservation and accessibility of cultural assets.
So not "too big", but keep going!
