Spring 2006 - irregular Fridays 12:30-4:30pm, Rm 651
or elsewhere
Digital Preservation and Restoration H72.1807
Goals:
This class will address the use of digital files as
preservation media, and will build on Handling New Media to further
investigate the preservation of born digital materials. Current
practices for digitizing audio will be examined, as well as the
initiatives by broadcasters, the Library of Congress and other national
archives, and digital libraries to set standards for preservation and
to utilize digital files for video preservation. Students will gain
experience with planning for digital projects, as well as with current
digitization methods for analog materials. Trends in multimedia and
moving image production that will impact the preservation practices for
contemporary works will also be discussed.
Expectations:
Each student will do three assignments as described below.
Attendance at all classes is expected; more than one unexcused absence
will affect grading. Grades will be based on a combination of class
preparedness and participation (25%); and assignments (25% each).
TEXTS:
There are no required texts for this class. Texts that are not
available online will be on reserve in the Bobst Library and the Cinema
Studies Film Study Center.
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Classes
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Class 1: Jan 27
-- Institutional repositories
and multi-institutional projects, part 1 (structures, architectures,
metadata, examples)
Topics/activities:
- What I did on my summer vacation
- Syllabus review and revision (& trade-offs btwn DL and
exercises on formats, assessments, writing plans)
- Review of concepts of changes from analog to digital as impacts
objects, systems and practices
- History of Collection DBs in other transitional periods
- When essence becomes seperable from carrier, what that means
for the entire production process (from cameras to "projection"), how
that changes "viewing", and how all this affects preservation
- Review of Moving from Digital Collections to Interoperable
Digital Libraries http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue7_6/besser/
- Metadata Review, focusing on Structural and Administrative (plus
Dublin Core, EAD, etc.)
- Initiatives and schema addressing architectures, metadata. Review
of attributes of a digital repository.
- OAIS Model
- Migration/emulation
- METS, PREMIS, UPF
- Related architectures (DSpace, LOCKSS, Universal Virtual
Computer)
- What are various roles for moving image archivists in this
environment. What are the actual tasks and job functions?
- Assignment #1: Create a status report on one
institutional/multi-institutional project or one project addressing a
particular problem, such as the preservation of electronic art or web
sites. Due Feb 10 as a 10 min. presentation. Answer questions such
as: What need or problem is this project trying to solve? What schema,
standards or models does it incorporate or is it unique? What special
approaches or designs are incorporated that may be interesting or
unique? What collections and preservation communities are involved? At
what stage is the project and how is it working?
To follow up on these topics
see:
Metadata Initiatives & Standards
Related Architectures
Institutional/Multi-Institutional
Initiatives
- CEDARS: curl exemplars in digital archives
- CAMiLEON: Creative Archiving at Michigan and Leeds Emulating the
Old on the New
- PANDORA: Australia's
web archive Ð National Library of
Australia
- NEDLIB - Networked
European Deposit Library
- MINERVA: Mapping the Internet Electronic Resources Virtual
Archive Ð Library of Congress
- NDIIP: National
Digital Information Infrastructure and
Preservation Program - Library of Congress
- NARA:
Electronic Records Archive - US National Archives and
Records Administration
- Digital Library Federation, An Electronic Records Archives (ERA)
Update http://www.diglib.org/preserve/ERA2004.htm
Other Initiatives
Class 2: Feb 10 -- Institutional
repositories and
multi-institutional projects, part 2 (moving image repository issues)
Due this class:
- Assignment #1
- Read:
Topics/activities:
- Presentations and discussion of Assignment
#1. Each student will present for 10 min. and
there will be 5 min. each for discussion.
- Brad (METS)
Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard
- Caroline (NEDLIB)
Networked European Deposit Library
- Jen - (Interpares
II)
- Kara (NDIIP)
National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation
Program - LOC
- Natalia (INCCA)
International Network for the Conservation of
Contemporary Art
- Paula (PANDORA)
Australia's web archive, National Library of Australia
- Sean (DOCAM)
Documentation and Conservation of the Media Arts Heritage
- Large-scale initiatives to digitize older content and make it
available
- Recent news articles
- Nikon
will stop making most of its film cameras; Company shifts focus to
market digital products, SF Chronicle, Jan 13, 2006
- Google's
China policy protested; Censored site draws fire at UC, Stanford
recruiting events, SF Chronicle, Feb 5, 2006
- Most
Web users say Google should keep data private; In poll, 56% say they
don't want info given to government, SF Chronicle, Jan 24, 2006
- Pirated
DVDs among hottest items on shelves, USA Today, Jan 20, 2006
- Preloaded
iPods prompt legal ponderings; Content-filled devices for sale -- with
higher price, USA Today, Jan 24, 2006
- Can
You TiVo to See Just the Ads?, NY Times, Feb 7, 2006
- Discussion of Assignment #2: Documentation and risk analysis of
the Impact website (http://besser.tsoa.nyu.edu/impact/).
Class 3: Feb 24 Mona
Jimenez/Melitte Buchman
Due this class:
- Read:
- Bobst Library Collection Surveys
- Abby Smith, David Randal Allen, and Karen Allen. Survey of
the State of Audio Collections in Academic Libraries. Washington DC:
Council on Library and Information Resources. 2004. Accessed 3/3/05.
- Clausen, Lars R. Handling File Formats. Copenhagen:
State and University Library. 2004. Accessed on 3/9/05 at http://www.netarchive.dk/website/publications/FileFormats-2004.pd
Topics/activities:
- Mona will explain the process of creating an Audio Lab plan for
Bobst Library. She will walk you through all the steps and
considerations for the plan. The class will then discuss issues
involved. Then she will show the final plan, and the class will
discuss it. Discussion will cover: audio standards selection,
matching technology to needs, space and layout concerns, working within
budgetary constraints, and dealing with organizational politics.
- possible guest speaker (audio engineer in
preservation/reformatting company)
- Discussion of draft need/scope documents and discussion of:
choice of destination formats; minimal descriptive standards and
redundancy of data.
- Digital
Audio Resources, Colorado Digital Library
- Issues with video digitization. Melitte Buchman, Bobst Digital
Conversion Specialist will talk about her process of developing a
methodology for conversion of analog and digital video materials to
MPEG 2 and Quicktime files, and the development of DVDs for access.
- - preservation decision that were made
- - how this defines everything including architecture (which
I'll go into)
- - how the analog is more challenging than the digital signal t
hat we'd work w/before
- - standards and the QT decision
- - testing for Mpeg2 and Mpeg4 (these are fun to look at)
Class 4: Mar 10 -- Web Site
preservation
Due this class:
- Read:
Topics/activities:
- Amazon
Considering Downloads, NY Times, March 10, 2006
- Studio fears around downloads
- Issues of Streaming vs Video-on-Demand
- Importance of "discovery" (imdb, scarcity of attention, this
week's O'Reilly conference)
- Issues of other players and market share (iTunes, other
studios, WalMart, ...)
- Economic issues (Long Tail,
etc.)
- Large Issues in Digital Preservation
- Digital
formats & sustainability issues
- Discolsure, Adoption, Transparency, Self-documentation,
External Dependencies, Impact of Patents, Tech Protection Mechanisms
- Report from yesterday's Wrapper Roundtable
- AAF/MXF/METS
- ISAN
- Theories and methodologies for collecting and preserving web
sites. Deconstructing and analyzing a web site with multiple
operating systems and browsers; diagnosing problems with
and without software; diagramming structure, documenting behaviors,
capturing screen shots, migrating data between media storage devices,
... (will continue these activities next week)
- Basic history and issues raised in keeping a web site
functional for a decade (http://besser.tsoa.nyu.edu/impact/).
- The practicalities of risk assessment, emulation and migration
of
born digital materials. Discussion of readings.
- Student small-group identification of various files on the
Impact website.
- Quicktime files
- The practicalities of risk assessment, emulation and migration
of born digital materials, part 2. Continue practice deconstructing and
analyzing web site and migrating data, and discussing other issues
concerning the care of complex media works. Documentation of
Impact site (including site map, screen shots,
...). Continuation of developing framework for evaluating a
website.
- where are the boundaries of the site?
- # of files per type (html, jpg, mov, ...)
- file sizes
- observations about image files
- Discussion of tools that can be used for web preservation
functions (link checkers, older software versions).
- Students interview website creator (Howard) over issues such as
look and feel, functionality, behaviors, handling externalities,
rights, ...
- Problems with resurecting the .mov files on
the impact website
- Discussion of Assignment #2: Write a condition assessment and
treatment plan for a born-digital work or ephemeral work involving
digital technology/files. (5-8 pages) Due April 21.
Class 5: Mar 31
Due this class:
- Read:
Topics/activities:
- Continuation of lecture/discussion on Digital
Library/Museum/Archive repository architecture/metadata/sustainability
issues
- What is involved in planning and running a
digital repository? (establishing and implementing standards, workflow,
start-up costs, ongoing costs, etc.?) How can smaller archives relate
to large institutional projects?
- Review of new developments and pros/cons of video file formats;
i.e., jpeg 2000 vs. MPEG
- LC's Preferred formats -- both
essence and packaging
- Issues with preservation and access in the broadcast
environment: The NYU/WNET/WGBH NDIIPP project.
- Background on public TV preservation efforts
- Descriptive issues and PBCore
- The scope, goals, challenges, etc. of the NDIIPP project
Class 6: April 14
Due this class:
- Read:
Topics/activities:
- Discussion of electronic art in general
- Discussion of various types of time-based media works
- Ways of viewing moving image material
- stream vs. download
- packages (& HD vs Blu-Ray)
- Digital projection in theaters
- High Def (& 4:4:2, 4:4:4)
Class 7: April 21
Due this class:
- Assignment #2 due
- Readings TBA
Topics/activities:
- Case study of emulation -- The Erl King. Guests Isaac
Dimitrovsky (programmer on emulation of Erl King) and Caitlen Jones
(Guggenheim conservator and project manager). Issues of
developing and managing an emulation project, both
administrative/managerial/planning, as well as technical. Given
the experience with The Erl King, what are the promises and problems
for future use of emulation? (75
min.)
- Students present on websites: 10 min. with 10 min.
discussion each. (2 hours).
- Copyright
- Looking to the future: modes of production, predictions for
'masters' and other artifacts, environments for display and storage for
digital works, copyright and ownership. Panel discussion. (75 min.)
- Review and critique of semester's work (40 min.)