Audiovisual preservation strategies, data models and value-chains

This is a report on preservation strategies, models and value-chains for digital file-based audiovisual content. The report includes: (a)current and emerging value-chains and business-models for audiovisual preservation;(b) a comparison of preservation strategies for audiovisual content including their strengths and weaknesses, and(c) a review of current preservation metadata models, and requirements for extension to support audiovisual files

Access to recorded interviews: A research agenda

Recorded interviews form a rich basis for scholarly inquiry. Examples include oral histories, community memory projects, and interviews conducted for broadcast media. Emerging technologies offer the potential to radically transform the way in which recorded interviews are made accessible, but this vision will demand substantial investments from a broad range of research communities. This article reviews the present state of practice for making recorded interviews available and the state-of-the-art for key component technologies. A large number of important research issues are identified, and from that set of issues, a coherent research agenda is proposed

Digital Collection Self-Migration at Loyola Marymount University: Assessing Platforms and Managing Implementation

In 2017, the William H. Hannon Library at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) used a locally hosted license of CONTENTdm for managing its digital collections. Then LMU was informed that CONTENTdm would no longer be supporting locally hosted instances of CONTENTdm. The Systems & Digital Initiatives (S&DI) department took this change as an opportunity to assess a range of digital asset management systems. After an initial assessment period and review of several product options S&DI decided to self-migrate the library’s content to Adam Matthew’s new platform, Quartex. This paper describes LMU’s assessment of digital asset management systems and the process of self-migration, and highlights the challenges associated with self-migration for early adopters of a platform

CHORUS Deliverable 2.2: Second report - identification of multi-disciplinary key issues for gap analysis toward EU multimedia search engines roadmap

After addressing the state-of-the-art during the first year of Chorus and establishing the existing landscape in multimedia search engines, we have identified and analyzed gaps within European research effort during our second year. In this period we focused on three directions, notably technological issues, user-centred issues and use-cases and socio- economic and legal aspects. These were assessed by two central studies: firstly, a concerted vision of functional breakdown of generic multimedia search engine, and secondly, a representative use-cases descriptions with the related discussion on requirement for technological challenges. Both studies have been carried out in cooperation and consultation with the community at large through EC concertation meetings (multimedia search engines cluster), several meetings with our Think-Tank, presentations in international conferences, and surveys addressed to EU projects coordinators as well as National initiatives coordinators. Based on the obtained feedback we identified two types of gaps, namely core technological gaps that involve research challenges, and “enablers”, which are not necessarily technical research challenges, but have impact on innovation progress. New socio-economic trends are presented as well as emerging legal challenges

AXMEDIS 2008

The AXMEDIS International Conference series aims to explore all subjects and topics related to cross-media and digital-media content production, processing, management, standards, representation, sharing, protection and rights management, to address the latest developments and future trends of the technologies and their applications, impacts and exploitation. The AXMEDIS events offer venues for exchanging concepts, requirements, prototypes, research ideas, and findings which could contribute to academic research and also benefit business and industrial communities. In the Internet as well as in the digital era, cross-media production and distribution represent key developments and innovations that are fostered by emergent technologies to ensure better value for money while optimising productivity and market coverage

Europeana communication bug: which intervention strategy for a better cooperation with creative industry?

Although Europeana as well as many GLAMs are very engaged - beside the main mission, i.e. spreading cultural heritage knowledge- in developing new strategies in order to make digital contents reusable for creative industry, these efforts have been successful just only in sporadic cases. A significant know how deficits in communication often compromises expected outcomes and impact. Indeed, what prevails is an idea of communication like an enhancement “instrument” intended on the one hand in purely economic (development) sense, on the other hand as a way for increasing and spreading knowledge. The main reference model is more or less as follows: digital objects are to be captured and/or transformed by digital technologies into sellable goods to put into circulation. Nevertheless, this approach risks neglecting the real nature of communication, and more in detail the one of digital heritage where it is strategic not so much producing objects and goods as taking part into sharing environments creation (media) by engaged communities, small or large they may be. The environments act as meeting and interchange point, and consequently as driving force of enhancing. Only in a complex context of network interaction on line accessible digital heritage contents become a strategic resource for creating environments in which their re/mediation can occur – provided that credible strategies exist, shared by stakeholders and users. This paper particularly describes a case study including proposals for an effective connection among Europeana, GLAMs and Creative Industry in the framework of Food and Drink digital heritage enhancement and promotion. Experimental experiences as the one described in this paper anyway confirm the relevance of up-to-date policies based on an adequate communication concept, on solid partnerships with enterprise and association networks, on collaborative on line environments, on effective availability at least for most of contents by increasing free licensing, and finally on grassroots content implementation involving prosumers audience, even if filtered by GLAMs

Analysis and study of hospital communication via social media from the patient perspective

Currently, the online interaction between citizens and hospitals is poor, as users believe that there are shortcomings that could be improved. This study analyzes patients’ opinions of the online communication strategies of hospitals in Spain. Therefore, a mixed-method is proposed. Firstly, a qualitative analysis through a focus-group was carried out, so around twenty representatives of national, regional and local patients’ associations were brought together. Secondly, the research is supplemented with a content assessment of the Twitter activity of the most influential hospitals in Spain. The results reveal that the general public appreciate hospitals’ communication potential through social media, although they are generally unaware of how it works. The group says that, apart from the lack of interaction, they find it hard to understand certain messages, and some publications give a biased picture. In order to improve communication, patients and relatives are demanding that their perspective be taken into consideration in the messages issued to enhance the quality of life and well-being of society

Digital Preservation Should Be More Holistic: A Digital Stewardship Approach

A considerable amount of creative, cultural, and research output is expressed in digital form. It is imperative that the memory sector rapidly improve its capability and capacity for handling digital content in all forms, including complex data. It took gallery, library, archive, and museum (GLAM) sector institutions somewhere between decades and centuries to implement systems for managing physical collections. Those who work with digital content are acutely aware that the same time frames are not afforded when it comes to saving our digital cultural heritage. The “fragility” of content produced from computing environments — thanks to the rapid churn of technological innovation and obsolescence — means that even acquiring, preserving, and providing sustained access to a seemingly “simple” stand-alone file can take considerable effort. The interdependencies and limitations of the computing platforms, software, hardware, and other peripherals (whether mass-manufactured or custom-developed) bring a level of complexity that is typically not experienced with physical collections

Digitization Guidelines for Static & Non-static (Audiovisual) Media: Compliance & Challenges in Academic Libraries

This doctoral dissertation aims to explore digitization practices at academic libraries in the United States. It examines adopted digitization guidelines, levels of compliance with these guidelines, challenges, and solutions. It seeks answers to five research questions in relation to academic libraries’ compliance with static and non-static (audiovisual) media digitization guidelines, encountered challenges, and applied solutions. A mixed methods explanatory research design was adopted for this comparative study. Purposive sampling was applied. The study sample consisted of 68 subjects from doctoral universities with highest and higher research activity based on the 2015 classification issued by The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through three collection methods: document analysis, electronic questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. Document analysis was conducted for five sets of digitization guidelines (i.e., ALCTS, BCR’s CDP Digital Imaging Best Practices Working Group, CARLI, FADGI, and NARA), wherein one (i.e., CARLI) consisted of five documents. Open coding was applied to explore themes in qualitative data collected by the electronic questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was applied to examine differences between digitization of static and non-static (audiovisual) media regarding challenges, levels of compliance, availability, and usefulness. The Paired Samples Test was applied only for sets of quantitative data that have normal distribution. Findings revealed differences in the adoption of digitization guidelines for digitizing static and non-static (audiovisual) media. Consistency, Standardization, and Sustainability was the most frequent type of reason for compliance with digitization guidelines adopted for static and non-static (audiovisual) media. Planning and Workflow was the most frequent type of reason for not complying with digitization guidelines adopted for static media, whereas Hardware was the most frequent type of reason for not complying with digitization guidelines for non-static (audiovisual) media. Statistical analyses revealed no significant differences in levels of compliance, availability, and usefulness between static and non-static (audiovisual) media among ALCTS, consortium/consortia, and a university’s own customized digitization guidelines. Open coding indicated that Funding and Hardware challenges appeared among the three most frequent types of challenges for static and non-static (audiovisual) media. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Tests revealed significant differences (with the exception of external funding) between digitization of static and non-static (audiovisual) media in terms of budget, digitization equipment/hardware, digitization software, staff digitization skills, and the need for more professional training. Different types of applied and suggested solutions were explored, wherein Planning and Workflow and Funding solutions were most frequent among the applied and suggested solutions for static and non-static (audiovisual) media. The theoretical implications of this study focus on digitization guidelines and compliance levels with those guidelines, and digitization challenges. Practical implications aim to provide suggestions to enhance development of digitization guidelines, and to reduce the effect of challenges faced in digitizing static and non-static (audiovisual) media