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!

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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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

• David Cirella, Yale University Libraries
• Jessica Farrell, Educopia Institute
• Lara Friedman-Shedlov, University of Minnesota Libraries
• Katherine Martinez, The New School
• Lori Podolsky, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
• Kari Smith, Global Archivist LLC
• Emily Sommers, University of Toronto Libraries
• Hilary Wang, Brown University

Get in Touch

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

Tuesday, March 19 (Day 1)

Pacific Time	Eastern Time	GMT	Session
8:00-10:00 AM	11:00 AM-1:00 PM	3:00-5:00 PM	Potential satellite programming (east/central)
10:00-10:15 AM	1:00-1:15 PM	5:00-5:15 PM	Opening remarks
10:15-11:15 AM	1:15-2:15 PM	5:15-6:15 PM	Session 1 The Interconnectedness of All Things St John Karp, Pratt Institute Attack of the clones: a data-centered approach to file deduplication and appraisal Brock Stuessi, Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts
11:15-11:30 AM	2:15-2:30 PM	6:15-6:30 PM	BREAK
11:30 AM-1:00 PM	2:30-4:00 PM	6:30-8:00 PM	Great Question! Session BCC Membership Committee Participant guide
1:00-1:30 PM	4:00-4:30 PM	8:00-8:30 PM	BREAK
1:30-2:30 PM	4:30-5:30 PM	8:30-9:30 PM	Session 2 Digital Archiving in the BitCurator Era: Perspectives from SILS Alumni Brenna Edwards, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin; Hyeeyoung Kim, Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin; Hannah Wang, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration; David Tenenholtz, The RAND Corporation

Wednesday, March 20 (Day 2)

Pacific Time	Eastern Time	GMT	Session
8:00-9:00 AM	11:00 AM-12:00 PM	3:00-4:00 PM	Birds of a Feather (BOAF) – Students & New Professionals Facilitator: Ruby Martinez, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
9:00-9:30 AM	12:00-12:30 PM	4:00-4:30 PM	BREAK
9:30-10:15 AM	12:30-1:15 PM	4:30-5:15 PM	Session 3 – Lightning Talks New Archivist at Work: Developing a Digital Preservation Program Doreen Dixon, Drake University A low-tech solution for mediated delivery of born-digital materials Keith Pendergrass, Harvard Business School This talk will not be recorded, but slides will be posted afterwards
10:15-10:30 AM	1:15-1:30 PM	5:15-5:30 PM	BREAK
10:30-11:30 AM	1:30-2:30 PM	5:30-6:30 PM	Session 4 Tool Assessment and Selection: The DANNNG Tool Selection Factors in Action Dianne Dietrich, Cornell University Library; Elizabeth-Anne Johnson, University of Calgary; Keith Pendergrass, Harvard Business School; Farrell, Duke University Libraries This session will not be recorded, but slides will be posted afterwards
11:30 AM-12:00 PM	2:30-3:00 PM	6:30-7:00 PM	BREAK
12:00-1:00 PM	3:00-4:00 PM	7:00-8:00 PM	Session 5 The Relational Possibilities Data Art Project: Remixing, Decolonizing, and Connecting Digital Community Archives and Data Science Dana Reijerkerk, Drexel University and Temple University Libraries kYmberly Keeton, University of North Texas
1:00-1:30 PM	4:00-4:30 PM	8:00-8:30 PM	BREAK
1:30-2:30 PM	4:30-5:30 PM	8:30-9:30 PM	Session 6 Facing Climate Realities: Digital Curation and Climate Change Sibyl Schaefer, UC San Diego

Thursday, March 21 (Day 3)

Pacific Time	Eastern Time	GMT	Session
8:00-9:30 AM	11:00 AM-12:30 PM	3:00-3:30 PM	Great Question! Session BCC Membership Committee Participant guide
9:30-10:00 AM	12:30-1:00 PM	4:30-5:00 PM	BREAK
10:00-11:00 AM	1:00-2:00 PM	5:00-6:00 PM	Session 7 Enhancing Use of Born-Digital Collections Using ARCH Karl Blumenthal and Sarah Beth Seymore – Internet Archive
11:00-11:30 AM	2:00-2:30 PM	6:00-6:30 PM	BREAK
11:30 AM-12:30 PM	2:30-3:30 PM	6:30-7:30 PM	Birds of a Feather (BOAF) – BIPOC Facilitator: Ima Oduok, Texas Digital Library
12:30-3:00 PM	3:30-6:00 PM	7:30-10:00 PM	Potential satellite programming

Friday, March 22 (Day 4)

Pacific Time	Eastern Time	GMT	Session
9:00-11:00 AM	12:00-2:00 PM	4:00-6:00 PM	Birds of a Feather (BOAF) – Educators Facilitators: Jesse Johnston, University of Michigan School of Information & Amy Wickner, University of Maryland iSchool

Rolling registration is now open for year two of BitCurator Satellites: local in-person events held in conjunction with the online BitCurator Forum.

Last year’s events included lightning talks, watch parties, and a BitCurator mixer! We encourage you to start thinking about how you might contribute to the Forum in this unique way. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.

While BitCurator Satellite events may be scheduled for any day of the virtual forum (March 19-22), the Forum Committee will leave open the following times in the official program for in-person events:

• Tuesday, March 19th, 9am – 1pm ET
• Thursday, March 21st, 3pm – 5pm ET

Satellite Events

Harvard University Library (Cambridge, Massachusetts) — March 19

• Watch party and digital archives workflows discussion. Closed to the public.

New School Archives and Special Collections (New York, New York) — March 20

Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, PA) and American Philosophical Society (Philadelphia, PA) — March 19-21st

• Local Pennsylvania programming includes talks, a workshop, happy hour, and more. Read the details here.

Triangle Research Libraries Network (Durham, NC) — March 22

• Closed to the public.

University of Minnesota, Elmer L. Andersen Library (Minneapolis, MN) – March 20

• Coffee & bagels, networking, sharing updates on our work, and conference watch party.

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

Slides & Recordings

Presenting at the BitCurator Forum

What can you expect after submitting a proposal to the BitCurator Forum?

Communications

One important volunteer role on the Forum Committee is “Speaker Liaison.” You will have communication with Forum committee representatives throughout the planning process who are there to answer any questions you have.

Review Period

The Forum Committee reviews proposals and responds to submitters by the stated deadline. Often the Committee responds with requested changes, such an expansion of the topic, different format, or other feedback based on their understanding of the whole program.

Sharing your Work

If accepted, you will receive a release form that asks you for permission to share a recording of your presentation and a copy of your slides. Recordings and slides are a great way to share knowledge back to the community, and presenters can point to the web posts as work samples throughout their careers. Forum Committee members often add links and other supplementary material along with the recordings, creating rich resources on the topic you discuss at the Forum. But it’s also okay to not record your presentation! You have the option to share as much or as little publicly as needed when submitting your work to the BitCurator Forum. The Forum livestream is open to registered attendees only.

Scheduling your Session

Once the Forum Committee has the set of selected proposals, they form the schedule. Presenters are informed as soon as their presentation time is set and asked to confirm their participation at the chosen time.

Fees

All fees for presenters are waived for the BitCurator Forum. Presenters are encouraged to register at the “Forum Presenter” rate.

Slides

Slides are encouraged for sessions. For demo’s and how-to sessions, slides are typically run by the presenter, but please ask the Forum Committee if you need assistance running your slides. For sessions and talks, the Forum committee runs slides to reduce the time spent turning over between each presentation. Slides are typically due a week before the event to provide time for the Forum Committee to organize the slides for a smooth show.

Practice Opportunities

A week before the event, you will have the opportunity to join a practice Zoom session to test anything you wish to test. You are encouraged to take this opportunity whether it’s your first or 50th time presenting at a virtual conference! It’s a great way to meet the team supporting you on the big day and to let the session leaders know a little more about what to expect during your talk or session so they can give you the best support possible.

Executing your Session

There are typically no special presenter links. Zoom links are shared each morning of the event for that day.

The day of the event, we hope you’re already there attending the rest of the conference – but at the least, arrive at the Zoom link at least 15 minutes before your presentation starts. The Forum Tech Host will give you presenter permissions.

The Forum Committee takes seriously our commitment to upholding the BCC Code of Conduct and you will have a Code of Conduct monitor in your session. In addition, you will have a Tech Host, a Moderator to introduce you and moderate discussion after your talk, and someone to advance your slides. Just sit back and focus on you!

After your talk, you will be asked to participate in a short Q&A session. Again, a Forum Committee moderator will facilitate the discussion.

First-time presenters are encouraged to submit to the BitCurator Forum. You will receive guidance along the way and support the day-of to make your presentation a success!

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 2024 BitCurator Forum and future BCC meetups and events. Recent past sponsors have included the Art & Obsolescence Podcast, Global Archivist LLC, and Myriad Consulting & Training, for whose support we are grateful.

Your sponsorship will:

• 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 by:

• Displaying your logo on the Forum website
• Recognizing you on the BCC listserv and “shout-outs” via the BCC social media accounts before, during, and after the Forum
• Publicly recognizing you at the event during the session introductions

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 ninth annual BitCurator Forum, to be held in March 2024, 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 19-22, 2024, virtually and in select in-person locations across the US and Canada.

• The BCC, host of the BitCurator Forum, has over 39 member organizations representing 53 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 three 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.

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.