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Projects and Events
COLLABORATION: FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURESoundings Theatre, Level 2, Te Papa, Wellington, 29-30 September
Opening addressHonourable Marion Hobbs, Minister responsible for the National Library and for Archives NZLast year's Forum emphasised the need for institutions to connect with communities and the necessity of sharing knowledge, expertise and costs. This year, the Forum aims to further develop relationships, discuss progress, provide a way for us to learn from each other, and find ways to take New Zealand's cultural heritage to the rest of the world.
Hon. Marion Hobbs declared her commitment to the Forum and its aims. She hoped that a strategy for the way forward would be consolidated, and that information would reach her in Cabinet.
Activities and research for cultural heritage in the European UnionBernard Smith, Head of Unit for Cultural HeritageThe internet is a huge and proliferating influence, so work must be prioritised, focusing on longer-term research challenges, quality content and projects that will give European added-value. Policy actions must have a compelling message that is easily understood, produce obvious commercial and institutional benefits and be founded on world-class content and expertise.
Greater co-ordination of member states is needed for sustainability, economy of resources, and to ensure cultural diversity. However, problems arise regarding standardisation, copyright and inter-operability. To counter these, our action plans include establishing internal co-ordination mechanisms, improving awareness and profile of digitisation issues, and enhancing technical models, guidelines, good practice and metadata. Functionality, credibility and usability are also crucial: websites need to know why they exist and who their audiences are.
The EU’s DigiCult Report recommends ways that heritage institutions can approach a technology-driven future. They include: renew skills and human capital; drive digital policies by the demand for high-quality material; entertain users and compete for their attention; focus on content-based and education-driven digital projects. Research philosophy in the EU aims for a pan-European collection where a critical mass of resources is shared. Research is structured to create virtual centres of excellence.
In conclusion: we have the technology we need - any information can be provided in any way to anyone at any time. In order to be competitive, we must create more efficient ways to deliver new types of meaningful information.
Presentation: Activities and research for cultural heritage in the
European Union
Report back on progress since the 2002 ForumSteve Knight, National Library of New ZealandTangible progress has been made:
Presentation: National Digital Forum activities 2002-03: progress report
Māori Digital Forum 2002: forum outcomesRoss HimonaLast year's Māori Digital Forum urged:
In conclusion, the Māori Digital Forum recommended that Māori representation is integral to all aspects of future National Digital Forums, and that there is a Māori digital project.
Presentation: Māori Digital Forum 2002:
forum outcomes
Picture 'iwi': building the concept of an inclusive iwi websiteBernard Makoare and Paul Tapsell, Auckland War Memorial MuseumBernard Makoare suggested that a website needs to include both increased access and the protection of information. A metaphor for such a website is the hui, where people gather on a marae to exchange information within a formal structure of ritual. Within the context of a host/guest division, relationships are established and identity is engaged fully in a prescribed process. Today's Māori must seek a potent identity by connecting with their heritage. They can visit an institution, or institutions can go to Māori - in both cases the hui's host/guest model applies. In giving and seeking information, there should be no division between the powerful and the powerless; instead, the process is to skillfully weave together diverse groups of people while maintaining their true identity.
Paul Tapsell elaborated upon the metaphor of the marae, to empower and protect. If the 'visitor' is the website user, how will their visit to the 'marae' be facilitated? What does the visitor want? When digitising taonga, institutions need to consult with iwi about access issues. The NDF needs to integrate Māori values into all digitisation projects. Taonga, for Māori, is a treasure and a genealogical representation. Taonga embodies kinship, love and belonging, rather than owning. Law and ownership are, of course, also aspects of taonga, but in a marae context the boundary between 'belonging' and 'owning' can be negotiated.
An extended summary of this presentation is also available.
Māori subject headings: building new collaborative finding aidsAlison Elliot, Jenny Barnet and Steven Lulich, Māori Subject Headings Steering CommitteeAlison Elliot outlined the committee's task to maximise access to heritage material by providing descriptive records. Creating Māori subject lists will provide standardised headings for the specific needs of New Zealand. The three stages of the project were outlined; the first two have been completed and a call was made for assistance with the third.
Jenny Barnet explained that the content of subject headings comes from several perspectives. An important issue for the committee is how to articulate a Māori world view in non-Māori concepts and language. In order to gain an overarching Māori view, the committee is relying on recommendations made from the first two stages of the project.
Steven Lulich summarised the benefits of a Māori subject list. It will:
Presentation: Māori Subject Headings:
building new collaborative finding
aids
Te Puna Reo - building the country's first Māori dictionaryHaami Piripi, Te Taura Whiri, Māori Language CommissionThe goal of the Māori dictionary - Te Matapuna (fount of knowledge) - is to ensure the survival of the language. As a monolingual dictionary, it is unprecedented. Being monolingual avoids Māori being benchmarked against English. Its major challenge is to capture lexicographical data from living language communities before they die out.
The NDF functions as an infrastructural safety net. In turn, those from the dictionary project encourage the aims of the Forum, the inclusion of Māori language in digitisation, and can help with bilingual websites and translations.
Presentation: Mātāpuna: Building the country's first Māori dictionary
Panel discussion of the proposed draft strategic plan and way forward for the National Digital ForumElizabeth Beale (Te Papa) outlined the proposed draft strategic plan for the NDF.
Graham Coe (National Library) spoke of the challenges of an affordable and inclusive strategy for digitisation. He envisages a centralised facility to drive the NDF forward. A model is required that ensures collaboration of many active parties and the sharing of resources.
Jock Phillips (Online Encyclopedia of NZ) wants to see a digital NZ in which users can move between heritage institutions. Material must be of high quality, maintained over time. Content must be bicultural. The digital experience must be interactive, multimedia, and aim to educate in interesting ways. To achieve this digital world, the NDF should incorporate the strengths of each of the national heritage institutions. Finance is crucial. The NDF might work as an entity that provided funding tagged to high technical and ethical standards. The model proposed was that of New Zealand On Air.
Bruce Ralston (Auckland War Memorial Museum) called for leadership and strength in numbers. Key objectives of the NDF should be the sharing of information and the development of expertise. There are three key issues for heritage institutions: that digitisation should be incorporated in all planning; that IT staff should be aware of social and cultural, not just technical, issues surrounding digitisation; and metadata standards need to be developed.
Seamus Ross (University of Glasgow) stressed the importance to the NDF of setting benchmarks, goals and self-validation. Inclusiveness, important to the NZ context, must be taken in its broadest sense to mean all peoples and experiences. The NDF should link itself closely with education and its institutions. It should consider public access, visibility and usability for both educational users and those who use for fun. Digitising and managing collections could benefit from an expert NDF. Governance must include the setting of objectives, conflict-resolution and assessment mechanisms, and ensuring equitability of activity.
Bernard Smith (European Commission) recommended that the NDF set deadlines for its cessation or change. The NDF will evolve, so most outcomes will be temporary and therefore perfection isn’t required. Speed things up by focusing on ‘can do’ rather than ‘nice to do’. Set principles rather than ‘visions’, then agree on the actions that derive from them. Actions should directly implicate participants, and visibly demonstrate responsibility and leadership. Set priorities, judging them by a simple principle of ‘avoidance of stupidity’. The NDF is a tool, not a purpose; despite the aim of seamless inter-operability, remember to retain individual and heterogeneous perspectives within a collective entity.
Presentation: A strategy for the National Digital Forum: Session 1
Summing up: what are the three major institutions doing?Dianne Macaskill (Archives NZ) believes in collaboration and the added value for government achieved in the sharing of ideas. They share close ties with Australian Archives' digitisation projects, and hope to eventually contribute. Archives NZ is working on its own digitisation strategy, which should be complete in 12 months, and plans to establish a test digital repository that will undergo testing over the next two years.
Penny Carnaby (National Library of NZ) sees the NDF as a way to achieve a 'connected New Zealand'. The impact of digitisation is social as well as strategic, opening up doors, so accessibility is the driver. Involvement is needed from throughout New Zealand, not only from its major institutions. Digital preservation is currently a central imperative: we cannot afford to face a digital dark age in 50 years time. A national strategy is required for the flow of information: we need to find out how to do it, and do it quickly.
Seddon Bennington (Te Papa) explains that technology is a vehicle for collection content, and that scholarship needs to be developed for meaningful access to collection material. Te Papa is concerned with implications of online mediation and experience of collections. To this end, more involvement with teachers and other user groups is required. The NDF should address the wider issues of digitisation in relation to society: who are we and where are we going?
Presentation: A strategy for the National Digital Forum: Session 2
Digitisation and sustainable access to heritage assetsSeamus Ross, Director of Humanities Computing and Information Management, University of GlasgowDigital assets are intellectual assets. E-content is the product of content creation - business processes, technological results, ways we capture and reproduce the analogue world around us. Such resources, or intellectual assets, are renewable if enough metadata is used.
Currently, however, standards and practices are fragmented and technological knowledge and skills are limited. Sustainability begins with digital creation, and policies and procedures must be established for that purpose. The following good practice guidelines are based on mistakes others have made. There must be:
A critical mass of content is the starting point. This means a diverse, sizeable and exploitable backlog of original analogue objects. Workflow processes should accompany all stages of digitisation. The NDF should consider particularly establishing processes for authenticity (content, generation, context or place), migration (stability of media, compatibility, updating technology), and standards (consistency, efficiency).
Collaboration is essential between heritage and other market sectors in order that digitisation is sustainable. Useful market sector models include printing and publishing industries and public sector information databases created by governments.
In conclusion, core principles for the NDF to consider are:
Open discussion on National Digital Forum strategyA general discussion was based around the following key questions:
Institution presentationsNational Archives of AustraliaMaggie Shapley discussed and demonstrated the NAA's ‘digitisation on demand’ initiative.
Presentation: Digitisation on demand: the National Archives of Australia experience Petone Settler's MuseumMichael Dee introduced Alan Douglas, the creator of the museum's interactive database of shipping lists and immigrant histories. Simon Rogerson demonstrated 'Bricks and Mortar', the interactive database of Lower Hutt's architectural heritage. Auckland Art GalleryDavid Reeves discussed the successful digitisation of the gallery's entire collection: the timeframe, process and staffing, broad goals, its achievements, its broad benefits, key lessons and success factors.
Presentation: Digitising the Lot! The Auckland Art Gallery collection management and access programme Te Papa National Services Te PaerangiJennie Harré Hindmarsh presented a proposed for the expansion of the NZ Museums website. The current site provides basic information about the country's museums, and the proposal is for the functionality of the site to be increased to enable collection information and images submitted by participating institutions to be available through the site.
Presentation: Expansion of the NZMuseums website: A proposal to the museum sector
How organisations with local and regional collections can be assisted to make their resources available onlinePaul ReynoldsThe internet is a profound cultural and technological transformation point. Many regional institutions are still lacking confidence and lack of digital resources; perhaps it is up to the larger institutions to provide leadership and peer support.
Throughout this Forum, a number of issues have shown themselves to be central. Challenges of digitisation include the promulgation and maintaining of standards, selection and interpretation of metadata, user needs, selection criteria, sustainability and copyright issues. Digital repositories are storehouses for all to share. It is important not to patronise users, but consider them as stakeholders to their cultural heritage, with an implicit right to use digitised material.
We are not exploring digitisation alone. The NDF is not only about technology or training; it is about capturing the minds of New Zealand, telling stories and being profound. We must act now, establish governance, and build a digital future together.
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