Survey results and the contents outline for new edition of the Digital Preservation Handbook just published
A big thank-you from Neil Beagrie and William Kilbride to everyone who contributed to the recent audience research survey or who commented on the potential contents outline for the new edition of the Digital Preservation Handbook.
Following that work, the DPC and Charles Beagrie Ltd are delighted to announce the release two important documents which will form the foundations of the new edition of the DPC Digital Preservation Handbook: the results of a major survey into audience needs, an the first full outline of content.
‘We are very keen to make sure that the new edition of the handbook fits with people’s actual needs so we were very encouraged by the substantial response to the consultation document which we sent out before summer’ explained Neil Beagrie who is editor and lead author of the new edition of the handbook. ‘We estimate that the digital preservation community represented on the JiscMail list numbers around 1500 people in total: and there were 285 responses to the survey.’
‘It a very large sample of the community but it’s also re-assuringly diverse. There’s a strong representation from higher education and public sector agencies but there’s also a sizeable group from industry, from charities as well as museums and community interest groups. When asked if they would use the handbook, not a single respondent said no.’
‘The survey has directly informed the contents of the new handbook’, explained William Kilbride, Execuitve Director of the DPC. ‘We started with an idea of the gaps and the many parts that had become outdated since the original handbook was published. So we invited users to tell us what they wanted and how they wanted it – both in terms of content and presentation. The project team has responded thoughtfully to these requests so I am confident that the resulting list of content is tailored to people’s needs. But we remain open to suggestions and comments’
‘This will help ensure that the handbook remains relevant for many years to come.’
The two documents are available as follows:
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