Overview

Digital preservation is crucial for research as it ensures long-term access to and usability of digital materials. This project aims to bring together industry and academia to collaboratively develop principles for building an accessible social and technical infrastructure for preserving digital images.

As culture and knowledge become increasingly mediated, transformed, and curated by the digital, the proliferation of digital archives, collections and artefacts means that these are increasingly held by organisations outside the formal GLAM sector. Without proper preservation methods, digital materials can become corrupted, lost, or inaccessible over time, leading to a loss of valuable cultural heritage. By implementing digital preservation strategies, heritage institutions and organisations can ensure that their digital collections remain accessible and usable for future generations.

This project is a collaboration between the Oxford Internet Institute and the Flickr Foundation. In June 2023, we ran a one-day workshop which brought together academics, practitioners, and students specializing in various slices across Digital Humanities, Design, Heritage, GLAM, and Education. Specifically, this workshop aimed to respond to the Flickr Foundation’s 100-year plan, exploring how we may design systems to protect Flickr’s invaluable photographic collection for future generations and to explore broader themes of conservation and preservation through this case study.

Following this workshop, we will report on key findings, which will ensure the insights from this collaboration will be shared openly to prompt future discussions and collaborations.