About the Forum

The BitCurator Forum brings together representatives of all levels of experience from libraries, archives, museums, and related professions engaged in (or considering) digital archives work.

The Forum will balance discussion of theory and practice of digital forensics, curation, and related digital analysis workflows. There will also be hands-on activities with the BitCurator environment, and other useful tools.

You do not need to be a BitCurator Consortium member or BitCurator user to submit a proposal and/or attend the event.

#BitCuratorForum #HybridExperiment

Sponsors

A very big and heartfelt thank you to this year’s Forum sponsors!

Gigabyte sponsor: Art & Obsolescence Podcast

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Megabyte sponsor: Global Archivist LLC

Global Archivist LLC is the partnership of Kari R. Smith, MSI Archives and Dr. Nance Y. McGovern, Ph.D. Digital Preservation. They have a combined experience of over 60 yrs working with archives, records, & cultural heritage by preserving, building capacity, and providing training for the sustainability of digital material. They work with organizations of all sizes to help them reach their goals.

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Kilobyte sponsor: Myriad Consulting & Training

Myriad is a non-profit consulting and training firm, specializing in collections care, digital preservation, digitization, grant writing, and more. Our consulting group is made up of leaders in the cultural heritage field with experience across many institutional settings. Explore our team and services at https://www.myriad.consulting/team.

Latest News

Code of Conduct & Community Agreement

The BCC is committed to fostering an open, inclusive, and safe environment.

View BCC Code of Conduct

 

In 2019, the BitCurator Forum adopted a Community Agreement which has served as a framework for inclusive participation and engagement for each Forum since. The community agreement is adapted from Aorta Collective’s Anti-Oppressive Facilitation for Democratic Process:

• One person speaks at a time
• Everyone has something to contribute
• Aim for more equitable participation
• Please feel comfortable participating (even if unsure about terminology, etc.)
• Be aware and considerate of time
• Embrace curiosity
• Acknowledge difference between impact and intent

Forum Committee

• Lourdes Johnson, University of Miami, Leadership Team
• Katherine Martinez, The New School, Leadership Team
• Alice Prael, Yale University Libraries, Leadership Team
• Emily Sommers, University of Toronto Libraries, Leadership Team
• Nancy Adams, Educopia Institute
• Elvia Arroyo-Ramirez, University of California Irvine Libraries
• David Cirella, Yale University Libraries
• Brian Dietz, NC State University Libraries
• Elizabeth Dunham, Arizona State University
• Jessica Farrell, Educopia Institute
• Lara Friedman-Shedlov, University of Minnesota Libraries
• Kelly Phillips, Northern Arizona University
• Lori Podolsky, McGill University
• Kari Smith, Global Archivist LLC

Get in Touch

If you have questions or feedback about the BitCurator Forum, please contact Jess Farrell.

Monday, March 27 (Workshops - Day 1)

8:45-10:45am PT / 11:45am-1:45pm ET / 4:45-6:45pm BST

WORKSHOP 1

Workshop registration limit: 30 participants – SOLD OUT | Waitlist

• THE BITS IN THE BYTES: Understanding File Format Identification
  Andrea Hricíková, Francesca Mackenzie, Andrey Kotov, and Kathryn Phelps, The UK National Archives

12:00-2:00pm PT / 3:00-5:00pm ET / 8:00-10:00pm BST

WORKSHOP 2

Workshop registration limit: 30 participants – SOLD OUT | Waitlist

• Introduction to Using the Command Line in your BitCurator environment
  Jessica Whyte, University of Toronto
  with help from Andy Foster, Monique Lassere, Ken Lui, and Tessa Walsh

Tuesday, March 28 (Workshops - Day 2)

9:00-11:00am PT / 12:00-2:00pm ET / 5:00-7:00pm BST

Workshop 3

Workshop registration limit: 30 participants – SOLD OUT | Waitlist

• Building a new skill takes time and directed effort: a practice plan for learning the command line
  Dianne Dietrich, Cornell University Library; Farrell, Matthew, Duke University Libraries; Brian Dietz, NC State University Libraries
  This workshop will not be recorded

12:45-2:45pm PT / 3:45-5:45pm ET / 8:45-10:45pm BST

Workshop 4

No limit on registration

• BitCurator Environment Updates 2023
  BCC Software Development Committee

Satellite Events

• University of Pennsylvania Libraries (Philadelphia, PA)
• New England Archivists Digital Archives Roundtable (Cambridge, MA)
  • Informal BitCurator Forum social satellite meet-up at ARCADE (formerly A4CADE) in Cambridge, MA. If you’re interested in digital archives in any way (no relation to BitCurator required) and meeting some friendly Boston area colleagues, swing by!
    • Time: 5:30 PM ET
    • Location: 292 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139. We will meet at 5:30 PM in the Roxy’s Grilled Cheese seating area and then head into ARCADE (it’s located within the restaurant).

Wednesday, March 29 (Day 3)

Opening Remarks

Lourdes Johnson, Emily Sommers, Katie Martinez, Alice Prael, and Farrell.
Watch on YouTube Transcript

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8:30-9:15am PT / 11:30am-12:15pm ET / 4:30-5:15pm BST

SESSION 1

• Qiwi: Building a New Open Source App for Archivists
  Ethan Gates, Yale University Library
• Integrating archival forensics with digital archiving workflows
  Leo Konstantelos, Emma Yan, and Clare Paterson, University of Glasgow

9:15-9:30am PT / 12:15-12:30pm ET / 5:15-5:30pm BST

BREAK

9:30-10:30am PT / 12:30-1:30 pm ET / 5:30-6:30pm BST

SESSION 2

• Implementing Privacy Reviews in Digital Archival Collections
  Annie Schweikert and Victor Aguilar III, Stanford Libraries
• Floppy disks, NoteWriter, and Malcolm Forsyth: Recovering the work of a renowned Canadian composer
  Elizabeth-Anne Johnson, University of Calgary
• Using Innovative Methods to Rethink Preservation Assessments
  Hafsah Hujaleh, University of Toronto Libraries
  This presentation will not be recorded

10:30-11:30am PT / 1:30-2:30pm ET / 6:30-7:30pm BST

BREAK

11:30am-12:30pm PT / 2:30-3:30pm ET / 7:30-8:30pm BST

BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Students & New Professionals

 

Satellite Events

• The New School Archives and Special Collections (New York, NY)
• University of Pennsylvania Libraries (Philadelphia, PA)
• Stanford University (Redwood City, CA)
• Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
• Yale University Libraries (New Haven, CT) – closed to the public

Thursday, March 30 (Day 4)

9:00-10:30am PT / 12:00-1:30pm ET / 5:00-6:30pm BST

GREAT QUESTION! SESSION

Membership and Forum Committees
Participant Guide Great QUESTIONS and ANSWERS!

10:30-11:00am PT / 1:30-2:00pm ET / 6:30-7:00pm BST

BREAK

11:00am-12:00pm PT / 2:00-3:00pm ET / 7:00-8:00pm BST

SESSION 3

• Exploring “Good Enough:” Using the NDSA Levels of Preservation to Establish a Shared Standard
  Brenna Edwards, Hyeeyoung Kim, and Christy Toms, University of Texas Austin
• Collaborative Appraisal of Born-Digital Archives
  Emmeline Kaser, University of Georgia

12:00-12:15pm PT / 3:00-3:15pm ET / 8:00-8:15pm BST

BREAK

12:15-1:15pm PT / 3:15-4:15pm ET / 8:15-9:15pm BST

BIRDS OF A FEATHER: BIPOC only

 

Satellite Events

• University of Minnesota, Elmer L. Andersen Library (Minneapolis, MN)
• University of St. Michael’s College, John M. Kelly Library (Toronto, Ontario) – closed to the public

Friday, March 31 (Day 5)

Satellite Events

• Triangle Research Library Network (Durham, NC) – closed to the public

Slides & Recordings

Recordings will be published throughout the month of April and communicated in a BCC newsletter at the end of the month.

Sign up for the newsletter here!

Planning a BitCurator Forum Satellite Event? Submit details through this form to have it added to the Forum Schedule.

For any questions, please contact support@bitcuratorconsortium.org.

Satellite Events

University of Minnesota, Elmer L. Andersen Library (Minneapolis, MN) – March 30

New England Archivists Digital Archives Roundtable (Cambridge, MA) – March 28, 5:30 PM ET

• Informal BitCurator Forum social satellite meet-up at ARCADE (formerly A4CADE) in Cambridge, MA. If you’re interested in digital archives in any way (no relation to BitCurator required) and meeting some friendly Boston area colleagues, swing by!
  • Location: 292 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139. We will meet at 5:30 PM in the Roxy’s Grilled Cheese seating area and then head into ARCADE (it’s located within the restaurant).

The New School Archives and Special Collections (New York, NY) – March 29

University of Pennsylvania Libraries (Philadelphia, PA) – March 28-29

Stanford University (Redwood City, CA) – March 29

University of St. Michael’s College, John M. Kelly Library (Toronto, Ontario) – March 30 (closed to the public)

• Watch Party and Tour

Triangle Research Library Network (Durham, NC) – March 31 (closed to the public)

• Topics of discussion will include Wins and Challenges, Workflows, New Stuff, and other issues as determined by participants. Happy Hour to follow!

Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO) – March 29

Yale University Libraries (New Haven, CT) – March 29 (closed to the public)

• Watch Party, Chat, Tour of the Digital Archaeology Lab!

About BitCurator Satellites

This year we encourage community members to host BitCurator Satellites, local in-person events held in conjunction with the online BitCurator Forum. This is an experimental hybrid conference model, intended to complement the online BitCurator Forum.

BitCurator Satellite events may include:

• Watch party during BitCurator Forum with local discussions
• Tour of local collections or processing spaces
• On-site demonstration of workflows and documentation
• Workshops, lightning talks, presentations

BitCurator Satellites will be self-organized by the local hosts. The BCC will not provide financial support for Satellites this year. The BCC will support Satellite hosts by providing:

• Online program schedule with suggestions for potential times for in-person events for each North American time zone
• Template promotional material for Satellite hosts
• Promote BitCurator Satellites with an online map of all in-person BitCurator Satellites
• Two support calls, inviting BitCurator Satellite hosts to join the BitCurator Satellite Organizing Team for a Zoom call to answer questions and share ideas

Satellite Hosts will agree to:

• Abide by the BCC Code of Conduct and include an event monitor
• Communicate available accessibility accommodations
• Provide point of contact for how accommodations can be requested
• Clearly communicate covid-19 guidelines and must be in accordance with local regulations
• Stay up to date with BCC communications about the BitCurator Forum

Information for Satellite Hosts

Timing

Hosts are encouraged to plan Satellite events during unscheduled hours of the Forum March 27-30 or on Friday, March 31, 2023. The main virtual BitCurator Forum has 4-6 hours of programming per day March 27 – 30. Here is a helpful spreadsheet to identify good times for local programming across several time US time zones: Suggested Local Programming Times. To submit information on another time zone, contact support@bitcuratorconsortium.org.

Registration

Attendees of Satellite events are encouraged to register for the BitCurator Forum at the appropriate member or non-member rate if they are also participating in virtual programming (including watch parties).

Depending on local needs, hosts may need to use an additional registration system to collect attendee details to assist with planning the event, collect revenue to offset the cost of the event, or track attendance numbers. The Forum Committee will not manage local registrations or ask for local registration data. They will ask for a headcount for evaluation purposes after the Forum, and ask that hosts please record that number during the event.

To assist with registration communications, we have created this optional text that you may adapt and share with your community: Satellite Communications Template.

Event Participation

Satellite events may be open to the public or only for internal participation. Hosts will be able to note this information using the form linked at the top of this page.

Promotion

Hosts are invited to start promoting their event as soon as the date and time are confirmed. Developing an event webpage is encouraged. A host may have resources to create a webpage on their institution’s website. Or, they may create an event through Eventbrite (that’s how the Forum Committee manages the Forum), or another platform of their choice. Hosts may share the link to their event with the Forum Committee as soon as it is live so they can help promote it.

When promoting Satellite events, please try to avoid national listservs and focus on local and regional outreach. The Forum Committee promotes the virtual BitCurator Forum on national channels, and everyone will be encouraged to check out Satellites through these communications.

Here are some graphics you can use to promote the Forum in your local communications:  BitCurator Forum 2023 Graphics

We’re excited to host a great online conference and provide support for the community to develop local events. Who knows where this conference model could go in the future!

Registration

Registration for 2023 is now closed.

Registration Rates

We are happy to offer a variety of registration tiers for this year’s Forum, including a free tier. Please note that registration rates for attendees with funding for professional development are slightly lower than the rates were previously for in-person programming. We have also included a tier that is equivalent to the cost of an in-person Forum for those who wish to support the Forum and the BitCurator Consortium community. Additionally, we are bringing back group rates. Revenue generated through ticket sales contributes to Forum operating expenses and the sustainability of the BCC community.

All prices are in USD

$0 – New professionals, students, and/or those who have no institutional funding for professional development.

$40 – Attendees from BCC member organizations that have organizational support for virtual professional development.

$50 – Attendees from non-BCC member organizations that have organizational support for virtual professional development.

$100 – Equivalent to the cost of some travel expenses and registration for an in-person Forum.

This year, we are also offering discounted rates for groups of 3 or more people from the same organization. Individuals from groups will receive a code to be used at checkout, allowing them to register individually. The discount is available to groups from member and non-member organizations. If you wish to register as part of a group, please have one person from your group contact Educopia to receive the code before registering.

10% off all tickets of groups of 3-5.

15% off all tickets of groups of 6-10.

20% off all tickets of groups of 11-15.

25% off all tickets of groups of 16 or more.

Registration closes on March 24, 2023. We encourage you to register early. Although the Forum can accommodate up to 500 attendees, enrollment for some workshops will be capped (with waitlists). Links to the events will be sent via email to registrants a few days before the start of the Forum.

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Professional Development Support

DPOE-N (Digital Preservation Outreach & Education Network) is pleased to offer funding support for citizens and residents of the United States of America to attend BitCurator Forum 2023. Funding can be used to cover registration costs and associated travel expenses. Applications for funding from new and emerging professionals and those whose employment has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic will be prioritized. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. For more information and to submit an application for funding, please visit: https://www.dpoe.network/professional-development-support/. If you have any questions about DPOE-N, please email Natalie Baur, Program Director, at nbaur@pratt.edu

Our Sponsors

A very big and heartfelt thank you to this year’s Forum sponsors!

Gigabyte sponsor: Art & Obsolescence Podcast

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Megabyte sponsors: Global Archivist LLC

Global Archivist LLC is the partnership of Kari R. Smith, MSI Archives and Dr. Nance Y. McGovern, Ph.D. Digital Preservation. They have a combined experience of over 60 yrs working with archives, records, & cultural heritage by preserving, building capacity, and providing training for the sustainability of digital material. They work with organizations of all sizes to help them reach their goals.

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Kilobyte sponsor: Myriad Consulting & Training

Myriad is a non-profit consulting and training firm, specializing in collections care, digital preservation, digitization, grant writing, and more. Our consulting group is made up of leaders in the cultural heritage field with experience across many institutional settings. Explore our team and services at https://www.myriad.consulting/team.

Sponsorship Information

Sponsorship of the BitCurator Forum (BCF) offers a valuable opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to a community of digital practitioners within libraries, archives, museums, and beyond, including their many affiliates and partners. Your sponsorship will help to sustain the community that maintains the BitCurator Environment and the many free and open resources and opportunities that the BCC creates and makes available to all. The BCC will use sponsorship funds directly to offset the costs of the 2023 BitCurator Users Forum virtual meeting and future BCC meetups and events. Recent past sponsors have included Data Curation Experts, Myriad, the Northeast Document Conservation Center, and Small Data Industries, for whose support we are grateful.

Your sponsorship at any level will:

• Subsidize the cost of registration for BCF attendees who do not have institutional professional development funding and can register to attend Forum events free of charge
• Subsidize the operating expenses associated with hosting and promoting a virtual conference
• Contribute toward the cost of making the conference more accessible
• Contribute to the sustainability of the BCC and our community of learners and practitioners

The BCC will acknowledge your support through:

• Distributing a sponsor-produced digital “swag bag” (promotional flyers, white papers, posters — whatever you’d like to include to all conference attendees)
• Acknowledging your support by displaying your logo on the BCC and conference websites
• Publicly recognizing you on the BCC Listserv and “shout-outs” via the BCC Twitter account before and during the Forum
• Publicly recognizing you at the event during the program introductions
• Additionally, for the 2023 Forum we will be gauging interest in a panel discussion with sponsor staff around how best to create and maintain relationships between service providers and community members.

This year, we are pleased to offer 5 levels at which you can support the Forum and BCC:

• Petabyte Level ($2500)
• Terabyte Level ($1000)
• Gigabyte Level ($500)
• Megabyte Level ($250)
• Kilobyte Level ($100)

Why Sponsor Us?

BCC members are the experts who administrators turn to when they are selecting products or vendors, or when they are embarking on new strategic activities related to born-digital archiving. By becoming a sponsor, your organization will reach a highly influential, international audience of potential new partners and clients.

The eighth annual BitCurator Forum, to be held in March 2023, will bring together archivists, librarians, museum curators, and other information professionals to explore major questions and challenges related to digital archival practice and the development and adoption of open source tools. We expect to host over 350 attendees at next year’s Forum on March 27-30, 2023, virtually and in select in-person locations across the US and Canada.

• The BCC, host of the BitCurator Forum, has over 30 member organizations representing 47 institutions and over 350 practitioners across the US and Canada.
• The BCC maintains the BitCurator Environment and the 400-plus member BitCurator Users Google Group, both of which are free and open and stand as a service to the digital archives community.
• The community is open and committed to making digital archiving skills available to anyone who wishes to come and learn. We emphasize inclusion and our Code of Conduct guides all of our spaces including the Forum.

The last two years, a virtual format led to record registration and attendance rates. In each year, we registered over four times the usual number of Forum registrants, and on each day of the meeting, we had twice the number of usual attendees. We anticipate similar numbers this year. We learned a lot about planning a virtual meeting at this scale when we did it for the first time in 2020: how effective it is at reaching a wider audience, how it is possible to have an engaging fully virtual conference, and how much more labor it takes to put on a virtual event than an in-person one.

To become a sponsor please contact Jess Farrell (jess.farrell@educopia.org). The Forum Committee is cognizant of the impact the pandemic has on institutional or organizational budgets. For anyone interested in becoming a sponsor who cannot commit to any of the sponsorship levels listed, we will be happy to discuss other funding options.

We look forward to working with you this year.