repositories for the rest of us: DigCCurr 2007: Migraine kills the plenary

2007/04/20: DigCCurr 2007: Migraine kills the plenary

I missed this morning's plenary because I awoke with a throbbing right eye which quickly evolved into a killer headache. More sleep and a few ibuprofen have lessened the impact but I'm still not quite up to a long day of sessions. I shall persevere and keep my fingers crossed that I feel better after food and caffeine.

The organizers of the conference are surveying attendees on the types of skills they look for when hiring digital curators. It made me think about the myriad areas in which a repository manager must be conversant. First and foremost, I think repository rats, need people skills. So often our problems are not technical but political. Developing teams, collaborating across multiple institutions, convincing contributors to contribute to collections, and raising money all require schmoozing.

Second, I think repository rats need an appreciation of archival theory. I didn't glean anything about archives/archiving from my MLIS. I ended up going to UCLA for a CAS to get that specialization (*ed. note - I'm one credit shy of completing that certificate. I won't speak of why I quit UCLA, but if you truly want to know, I'll tell you in-person). While working on the CAS, I found the learning I did about authenticity and evidence in digital record keeping to be incredibly useful for explaining to people why archival control is necessary for some types of repositories and/or digital collections. Third, comes all of the technical skills -- which are quite numerous. Running servers and databases, metadata creation and interoperability, creating and testing websites only skim the surface. Finally, comes financial and business acumen. Most repository projects have been financed with project funding. As repositories evolve from projects to production this type of funding is not sustainable. Just ask the folks at NDIIPP what happened when Congress changed. An understanding of the business case for your repository is crucial not only for pitching funding agencies but also for evaluating the success of your repository. The business case provides the measures of assessment.

I'm off in search of a decent coffee. I'm staying at the Marriott near the Friday Conference Center. It feels like I'm in the middle of nowhere. You can't even cross the street due to a lack of sidewalks and pedestrian signals. Nothing is really visible except a golf course and a housing development. Unfortunately, hotel room coffee is a bit weak for my espresso habit. There is a business park across the street and I've heard rumors of a bakery. Bakery = potential latte. Wish me and my pounding head luck.

Labels: DigCCurr 2007