“Digitization is not preservation” is an oft repeated mantra on social media, a quick-fire response from heritage professionals to media stories declaring that at-risk materials have been digitally reformatted and thereby preserved. As recently as April of 2018, the cries went out on Twitter, when Google announced the release of high-resolution scans of 25 at-risk historical sites (which mimicked a similar outcry in 2016 when Google announced the release of high-resolution scans of art works). This session will allow practitioners to present their own approach to the issue, through case-studies and reasoned debate about the current state of best practice on whether digitization is, could be, or should be a means of preservation.
This session is intended for practitioners of all experience levels who have some responsibility for digitization, preservation, or providing access to collections. The session will be a lighting talk format followed by questions and discussion.
Program Manager, Moving Image Archive Studies, University of California, Los Angeles
Snowden Becker manages UCLA's MLIS program. She researches, teaches, and writes about how audiovisual materials are integrated into our larger cultural heritage.
Director, Digitization and Conservation Services, Cornell University
Tre Berney is the Director of Digitization and Conservation at Cornell University Library where he is responsible for annual digital collections and preservation priorities for Cornell’s Rare and Distinctive Collections. He responsible for the renowned Digital Consulting and Production... Read More →
Maureen Callahan is the steward for the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History at Smith College, where she provides collection development, instruction, and stewardship for records of people changing the world on behalf of women and other gender minorities.
Librarian (Preservation), Smathers Libraries, University of Florida
Fletcher Durant is the Preservation Librarian at the University of Florida Smathers Libraries. His work focuses on the preventive conservation of library and archival materials, the sustainability of cultural heritage, and risk management. He is a trained book and paper conservator... Read More →
Siobhan holds her M.A. in Moving Image Archiving and Preservation (MIAP) from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and has worked in a variety of collecting organizations throughout her career, including the UCLA Library, the National Aquarium, and the Smithsonian Institute. She is currently... Read More →
I’m a book historian and digital media scholar based in Washington, DC. I worked at the Folger Shakespeare Library for nearly a decade as Undergraduate Program Director and as Digital Media Strategist. Now I explore how early printed books were made and how they are represented... Read More →
