The COPPUL Digital Stewardship Network
Nothing has been preserved, there are only things being preserved. Preservation is the result of ongoing work of people and commitments of resources.
Trevor Owens, The Theory and Craft of Digital Preservation
The digital preservation landscape is complex and is always evolving. As collections have become increasingly digital, memory institutions like university archives and libraries have recognized the need for solutions that address the challenges associated with their ongoing stewardship responsibilities.
Digital Preservation at COPPUL
COPPUL has been active in digital preservation since the establishment of the COPPUL Private LOCKSS Network in 2007. In 2015, the COPPUL Digital Preservation Working Group established the COPPUL Digital Preservation Network (COPPUL DPN) with the intention of transforming COPPUL’s digital preservation activities into a set of comprehensive, flexible, scalable, and sustainable services. In 2018, the COPPUL DPN was renamed the COPPUL Digital Stewardship Network (CDSN), acknowledging the many actions taken throughout the life cycle of digital objects that support long-term access. The CDSN's services continue to evolve in line with emerging opportunities and challenges in the digital preservation space.
Guiding principles
The COPPUL Digital Stewardship Network (CDSN) builds capacity for digital preservation at COPPUL member institutions. We help our members preserve, manage, and provide access to their digital collections by:
1. Offering a world-class suite of technology, infrastructure, and services
We actively work to sustain and mature our suite of community-owned tools and services, which includes Westvault and Archivematica-as-Service. Our Preservation Infrastructure Working Group provides oversight and expert guidance in this area.
2. Creating a vibrant community of practice
We foster peer networks to help increase digital preservation capacity through meaningful collaboration. These currently include our Peer Services Community and Western Web Archiving Community.
3. Increasing awareness among a wide range of stakeholders
We support efforts to promote awareness of digital preservation opportunities and challenges, often in close collaboration with allied organizations, along with efforts to advocate for resources on member campuses.
4. Offering educational and professional development opportunities
We offer an array of educational programming and professional development opportunities, including our Peer Services Community webinar series. These address topics of interest to our peer networks, and create opportunities for COPPUL's nodes of excellence to share expertise with colleagues.
5. Collaborating with allied organizations regionally, nationally, and internationally
We build partnerships in order to amplify our efforts, achieve economies of scale, and provide our members with the resources they need. This includes working towards national-scale infrastructure solutions, as applicable, to meet the needs of our members.
History
COPPUL has been active in digital preservation since the establishment of the COPPUL Private LOCKSS Network in 2007. In 2015, the COPPUL Digital Preservation Working Group established the COPPUL Digital Preservation Network (COPPUL DPN) with the intention of transforming COPPUL’s digital preservation activities into a set of comprehensive, flexible, scalable, and sustainable services that help members steward their digital collections into the future. In 2018, the COPPUL DPN was renamed the COPPUL Digital Stewardship Network (CDSN).
Governance
- The CDSN Standing Committee guides COPPUL’s efforts to build capacity for digital preservation.
- The Peer Services Community works to foster our community of practice, and to connect its members with relevant educational and professional development opportunities.
- The Preservation Infrastructure Working Group helps ensure members have access to necessary tools, and oversees operations of hosted services.
- The Western Web Archiving Community brings together web archiving practitioners across BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, facilitating collaboration that helps preserve at-risk web content of regional significance.
Collaborations
The COPPUL Digital Stewardship Network (CDSN) works with a wide variety of regional, national and international partners. Our collaborative projects and initiatives have a meaningful impact on COPPUL members' ability to undertake effective digital preservation.