Report on the context of the DigCurV Curriculum Framework Nathan Moles Seamus Ross Faculty of Information Faculty of Information University of Toronto University of Toronto Toronto, Canada Toronto, Canada n.moles@mail.utoronto.ca seamus.ross@utoronto.ca Abstract—This paper presents an overview of current or the current training environment. To do so, it presents an recently completed initiatives to create, structure, or help overview of the major attempts to construct a portable and foster curricula for the on-going vocational training of broadly applicable curation curriculum. The discussion of information professionals with the aim of informing the these initiatives does not attempt to be exhaustive or implementation of DigCurV’s curriculum framework. The comprehensive, but instead illustrates the current state of initiatives examined include the Digital Curation Centre, digital curation curriculum development into which the DaMSSI (Research Data Management Skills Support DigCurV framework fits. In doing so, it draws attention to the Initiative), DigCCurr (Carolina Digital Curation weaknesses, limitations and gaps in these efforts. To maintain Curriculum Project), Closing the Digital Curation Gap, consistency with the overall orientation of DigCurV, initiatives Digital Curation Exchange, International Digital Curation that seek primarily to develop curricula to train digital object Education Action (IDEA) Working Group, Digital producers or users in curation rather than information Preservation Coalition, Digital Preservation Training professionals, have been excluded. The inclusion of producers Programme, the Library of Congress’ Digital Preservation and users in the definition of curation programmes is essential. Outreach and Education, the Society of American Archivists’ Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) Curriculum II. CURRICULUM INITIATIVES and Certification and nestor, the German competence This survey is not a catalogue of training opportunities. network. Instead it is an overview of current or recently completed Keywords - DigCurV; Digital Curation curriculum attempts to create, structure, or help foster curricula for the on- going vocational training of information professionals. These I. INTRODUCTION projects were selected because they attempt to move beyond Digital curation is a complex and rapidly evolving field an ad hoc approach to training. Some are included because with an on-going requirement for continuous vocational they promote the development of useful tools or foster training for those working in the field. The landscape of collaboration. Others are discussed because of the prominence available training opportunities is equally complex, presenting they have achieved. Likewise, training programmes that challenges for both educators and working professionals trying provide instruction only in specific tools or as dissemination to keep abreast of the increasingly diverse and sophisticated for otherwise targeted projects have been excluded. In some curation knowledge. One of the major products of the cases spin-off projects that directly relate to the objectives of DigCurV project is a curriculum framework, which was the initial projects have been included. We have not included produced with the intended purpose of providing structure and discussions of older initiatives such as ERPANET [6], guidance to the development vocational education curricula for DigitalPreservationEurope, or the series of summer schools digital curators [1, 2]. Previous reports produced by this run by the DELOS Digital Preservation Cluster [7] project have surveyed existing training opportunities, and A. Digital Curation Centre defined the curriculum framework itself [3, 4, 5]. These The UK-based Digital Curation Centre (DCC) is involved outputs have focused on bridging the gap between the current in a number of projects related to education and training. state of skills in the workforce and those necessary for These initiatives are generally focused on research data in a professional excellence. wide range of domains. The cornerstones of the DCC's training This report shifts the focus by addressing the implementation efforts are two workshop series: Digital Curation 101, which and exploitation of the DigCurV curriculum framework within consists of workshops providing general introductory instruction; and Tools of the Trade, that provides more detailed College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) Seven exploration of specific tools. Both series are offered at various Pillars of Information Literacy model, as frameworks for venues throughout the UK as free half-day workshops targeted training programmes15. It was launched as a support project for at curators and researchers. The DCC also plays a prominent the JISC-funded RDMTrain16. As part of a skills framework, role in many other collaborative training projects. Examples of this project produced a series of career profiles to these can be seen in the Incremental project led by the conceptualize training needs. In keeping with the objectives University of Cambridge12, and the Sudamih project at the and research data orientation of the DCC, these documents are University of Oxford13. These focus on educating research data designed to demonstrate how data management skills integrate creators about the value of efficient data management, and and benefit professionals working in different domains. Career providing the necessary skills to facilitate their work. profiles have so far been established for conservators, social science researchers, archaeologists, clinical psychologists, and For the structure of their educational activities, the DCC has data managers. The last of these is the only profile that directly produced a tool around which they construct curriculum. The targets information professionals; the others integrate curation “Core Skills for Data Management”, is a visualization created knowledge into other knowledge domains. as a follow up to the second DCC Research Data Management Forum in 2008 that identifies four roles in the management of The DaMSSI conception of data managers is restricted to research data: data creator, data scientist, data manager, and curators of research data and distinguishes them from other data librarian14. It associates competencies with these roles and types of information professional. While this fits within the identifies areas of overlap. One of the major strengths of this scope of curation, and could be mapped to roles in the model is that it embraces a holistic approach to curation that DigCurV curriculum framework, the profile covers a wide traces data from creation to long-term storage and incorporates range of responsibilities that cross the divide between producers and users. Curation programmes undoubtedly practitioner and manager. This inclusiveness limits the benefit from the education of non-curatorial staff although usefulness of the profile in curriculum development, although broadening the audience in this way limits the depth at which it clearly demonstrates the importance of curation skills in the material can be explored, detracting from the potential benefit work of data managers. Despite this limitation, the skills to curators. framework is of considerable benefit in the context of curriculum development for training non-information Similarities exist between these core skills and the attributes professionals in the selected domains. Aside from described for each role in DigCurV's curriculum framework. demonstrating the relevance of data management training, the Several of the same concerns and areas of interest have been career profiles function as a tool for advocacy and link these identified in both projects. These range from technical skills, curation abilities to the broader area of information literacy. such as those related to the use of metadata, to soft skills linked to managerial functions. In contrast to the curriculum The second phase of this initiative, DaMSSI-ABC framework, the roles outlined by the DCC reflect a horizontal (Assessment, Benchmarking, and Classification) 17, began in delineation that mirrors stages in the lifecycle of data. The four August 2012 and is scheduled for completion in August 2013. roles all operate on a similar level in regards to the overall This phase builds on the previous work of DaMSSI; it functional hierarchy of curation programmes and each role is classifies course offerings, identifies benchmarks, and makes associated with tasks that range from high-level planning to training materials from RDMTrain projects available through specific actions. However, the greater degree of abstraction the JORUM portal. With the project currently in progress, presented by the core skills model hinders the delineation of most of its outputs are not yet available. However, draft responsibilities vertically and prohibits the concise statement versions of a classification scheme as well as checklists for of attributes that defines the DigCurV output. In this way, the developing and evaluating information literacy training core skills model reflects the DCC's interest in training programmes have been made public. The classification curators as well as producers, and its narrow focus on a scheme holds potential as a tool for aiding in curriculum specific genre of digital objects, research data. development. The classification of courses allows for more informed selection by audiences, the planning of targeted B. DaMSSI (Research Data Management Skills Support training programmes, and provides boundaries for course Initiative) instructors. At present, the classification scheme is in an DaMSSI, a DCC-led project, co-funded by the Joint underdeveloped state limiting its usefulness. The Checklists Information Systems Committee (JISC) and the Research Information Network (RIN), facilitates the use of Vitae's Researcher Development Framework (RDF) and the Society of 15 http://www.dcc.ac.uk/training/damssi 12 16 http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/preservation/incremental/ Research data management training materials (RDMTrain) 13 http://sudamih.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ is a DCC-led initiative to train researchers in the management 14 http://www.dcc.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/RDMF/R of their research data. 17 DMF2/coreSkillsDiagram.gif http://www.dcc.ac.uk/training/damssi-abc have the potential to provide practitioners and others with more content than typical one-day or half-day workshops, effective metrics to assess skills. while the follow-up sessions support the review of how the attendees apply the content within their organisation. Despite C. DigCCurr (Carolina Digital Curation Curriculum the efforts to broaden the initial objective to include ongoing Project) vocational training, DigCCurr has not developed a modified DigCCurr consisted of two projects, DigCCurr I (2006-9) framework for this new mode of education. Regardless of any and DigCCurr II (2009-12), which aimed at developing a limitations in adapting DigCCurr to vocational training, curriculum framework, course modules and experiential together these projects have made a significant contribution to components for graduate and doctoral education18. Although it curation education and the development of curricula. expanded its ambit in the second phase, the primary focus of DigCCurr is on formal academic education, in line with The project has spawned a number of other initiatives under traditionally accredited master's and doctoral degrees. The the DigCCurr banner; these include professional institutes, project team for DigCCurr is based at the University of North fellowships, conferences, symposia, and a number of other Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Information and Library smaller collaborative projects. Three of these projects most Science (SILS), but experts from Canada, the United States, relevant to curriculum development are profiled below. New Zealand, Australia and Europe were represented on the D. Closing the Digital Curation Gap (CDCG) advisory board, ensuring the project had an international Closing the Digital Curation Gap is a collaboration by perspective. SILS and the Institute for Museum and Library Services Of the products generated by DigCCurr I, the two most (IMLS), the DCC and JISC in the UK attempting to build relevant here are the Matrix of Digital Curation Knowledge consensus around a baseline of knowledge and best practices and Competencies19 and the High Level Categories of Digital for core digital curation activities21. These activities cover a Curation Functions20. The DigCCurr matrix is a tool for range of tasks from the management of intellectual property to identifying content for inclusion in curricula and structuring it monitoring storage environments and metadata creation. for use. It contains six dimensions that provide space for both CDCG ran from October 2009 to March 2013 and, like high-level concepts and the detailed specifics of curation DigCurV, was focused on continuing professional education actions. This allows individual skills and tasks to be linked to within the cultural heritage sector. larger principles and functions. Situating technical and The major output of this project is a series of Getting Started experiential components of education in the framework of an Guides22. These guides divide curation into six high-level inclusive holistic perspective on curation bridges the gap functions modeled on stages in the information lifecycle and created by teaching each in completely separate workshops. take an inclusive approach to the range of high-level and task- The matrix also benefits from linking skills to functions and oriented activities within these functions. In doing so, they aim from a less linear understanding of the information lifecycle. for flexibility and comprehensiveness in their use and designed The high-level categories of digital curation functions to meet the educational needs of information professionals document builds on the functions and skills component of the with only cursory knowledge of digital curation. As such, they matrix. It consists of 24 functions and 4 meta-level functions include foundational concepts and principles, as well as the that apply horizontally to the functions. Each function is application of these in specific activities. The outputs of this defined and associated with particular curation activities. project are available through Digital Curation Exchange. These categories are mapped to OAIS, which in turn connects the skills and knowledge in the curriculum to a defined E. Digital Curation Exchange (DCE) terminology and a model widely used in the preservation Conceived as an online “town center”, the Digital Curation community. Exchange (DCE) is an IMLS-funded project that grew out of The second DigCCurr project shifted the focus slightly to DigCCurr II and CDCG. It functions as an extension of the curriculum development for doctoral programs and the objectives of these two projects fostering collaboration, continuing education of working professionals. Building on networking and the dissemination of resources. As a web the work of the first project, a series of professional institutes portal, DCE consists of an online discussion forum that were organized. These training courses target digital curators contains news, events, job postings and teaching resources. and are taught by leaders in the field. Unlike most vocational The website further facilitates communication by providing training, they are structured around week-long initial sessions both open and closed group spaces for members of active that include theoretical and technical components, followed by projects to collaborate. DCE does not generate original a two-day workshop after six months [8]. This format provides research. Its role in curriculum development is enabling communication between experts in a centralized area and 18 providing a platform for projects to disseminate their results. A http://www.ils.unc.edu/digccurr/ 19 http://www.ils.unc.edu/digccurr/digccurr-matrix.html 20 21 http://www.ils.unc.edu/digccurr/digccurr-funct- http://digitalcurationexchange.org/cdcg/ 22 categories.pdf http://digitalcurationexchange.org/cdcg/?q=node/31 central hub like this helps to further the discussions that build advanced topics and the exploration of curation processes in the consensus necessary for a baseline of curation skills. In the greater detail. The organizers anticipate this event will develop future, as its user base grows and the website becomes more iteratively and become an annual offering23. An addition to the established, it could function as a repository for course training landscape, this programme holds the potential to materials. In this capacity, it could help a vocational training address the specific needs of more skilled curators, while curriculum to crystalize. simultaneously acting as a conduit for new developments for digital curation professionals working on the front-line. F. International Digital Curation Education Action (IDEA) Working Group Together with the Fondazione Rinascimento Digitale (FRD), The IDEA Working Group was created as a forum for and as a part of APARSEN, the DPC published a report experts and educators to discuss issues of education and evaluating the needs and provisions for vocational curation training. Initiated by the HATII (Humanities Advanced training in Europe. The study focused on short courses Technology Information Institute at the University of intended for working information professionals with curation Glasgow), DCC, IMLS, SILS at UNC, and responsibilities. In their observations they noted a distinct lack DigitalPreservationEurope (DPE), this group held a series of correlation between the topic of the course and the audience workshops and meetings to investigate opportunities for to which it was presented [10]. This indicates a lack of collaboration and consensus building. The first of these directed development and coherence in the range of course workshops in May 2008 sought to identify training offerings as well as a failure of training providers to coordinate opportunities, investigate collaborative approaches, identify their activities. The study also recommended that curriculum roles and skills within curation, and discuss required be based on the latest research outputs as a means of remaining curriculum elements [9]. Subsequent meetings built on these current and up to date with community expertise. foundations with an emphasis on exploring collaboration and H. Digital Preservation Training Programme (DPTP) building consensus. These events have helped to foster The DPC was also instrumental in the initial launch of the dialogue and exchange about current training practices award-winning Digital Preservation Training Programme amongst a wide range of participants. In addition to the (DPTP)24, run by the University of London Computer Centre founding group involvement in the IDEA Working Group has (ULCC). Designed for vocational training, this programme is included representatives from the University of Illinois at structured around modular units that are taught in three-day Urbana-Champaign Graduate School of Library and workshops by recognized experts. The audience for these Information Science, the UK's National e-Science Centre workshops can range from technical staff to traditionally (NeSC), the UK Data Archive, University of London trained archivists. With a broad audience, the programme Computer Centre and nestor amongst others. introduces substantial amounts of foundation knowledge in its G. Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) curriculum. Timetables from previous DPTP courses indicate a The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC), a non-profit consistent pattern in which general knowledge is introduced consortium and member of the DigCurV project, has and then followed by more in depth examinations of such workforce development as one of its core objectives. Among issues as metadata, tools, and management issues. For their efforts in this direction the DPC have initiated a series of workshop attendees with prior knowledge of curation or Digital Preservation Roadshows that have toured the UK with exposure to the topics being presented, many of these presentations on issues, tools and organizations involved in components of the curriculum may be redundant. In these digital curation. These have focused on practical solutions and cases, space within these courses could be better used for raising awareness amongst information professionals. A instruction on additional tools or more in-depth discussion. second initiative, the DPC Leadership Programme, has The ULCC staff also offer courses that are specifically tailored provided grants for the staff of member organizations to attend to the needs of the client organization. These provide an continuing education courses. These efforts are primarily opportunity to place emphasis where it is most needed and to intended to support on-going vocational training and to build provide instruction at the level that best suits the audience. The the necessary skill set in the workforce of their organizational tools, methods and models that can be directly applied in daily members. practice can be situated at the core of the curriculum. Such a In July 2013, DPC are hosting the first Digital Preservation scenario will address immediate needs more effectively, but is Advanced Practitioner Training course, which is organized by unlikely to be a sustainable solution. Vocational training the Alliance for Permanent Access to the Records of Science implies the on-going development of knowledge, skills and in Europe Network (APARSEN) and involves collaboration competencies. This is particularly important in a rapidly with a number of other European curation projects. Unlike evolving field like digital curation. While the course packages other training initiatives, this week-long event aims to build on 23 existing skills and assumes a core of experience-based curation http://dpconline.org/events/details/62-APARSEN-Training- knowledge on the part of attendees. The focus will be on more APJul13?xref=68 24 DPTP: http://www.dptp.org/ offered by DPTP have many strengths, the inclusive overview practical. This visualization illustrates these groups along with approach they take to curriculum means that the space likely roles and potentially effective training methods. This available for new developments is limited and whatever new identification of audience groups and the recognition that each content can be included will be relatively small in comparison has unique training needs based on their different roles in to material previously presented. This dissuades working digital curation programmes formed the basis for the distinct professionals from taking courses on a topic more than once lenses in the DigCurV curriculum framework [1]. and undermines the sustainability of the programme. J. Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) Curriculum and I. Digital Preservation Outreach and Education (DPOE) Certification An initiative launched by the Library of Congress, Digital The Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) Curriculum and Preservation Outreach and Education (DPOE) is a program to Certification is a program, offered by the Society of American foster vocational training nationally through networks of Archivists (SAA), for the continued vocational training of qualified trainers and course offerings. Based on a needs archivists who work with electronic records. The program uses assessment and curricula review in 2010, the staff of the a tiered curriculum that incorporates content hierarchically Library of Congress developed a curriculum specifically structured at four levels; foundational, tactical and strategic, targeted at working professionals25. The program is delivered tools and services, and transformational28. The different levels through an evolving series of workshops, conferences, and are mapped to three primary audience groups; practitioners, web seminars taught by experts in regions across the country. managers and administrators, that correspond loosely with the These experts comprise a National Trainer Network that categories of practitioners, managers and executives used by provides geographic coverage and extends the reach of the DigCurV. Specific courses are targeted at one or more of these program. The scope of the program is further aided by a “train groups, with each tier predominately geared to one or two the trainer” approach that sees professionals from different audience groups. regions trained as instructors by Library of Congress staff to then conduct seminars and workshops at their institution. This The content is delivered through short workshops and online decentralized mode of dissemination is guided by the DPOE's seminars. Audience members have the option of enrolling in core training principles, which address the audience, content, single courses or completing a defined number of courses from instructors, and events of this network26. each tier, after which they can apply to take a comprehensive examination and be awarded a certificate. The certificate itself The heart of this initiative is the DPOE Baseline Digital is issued by the SAA and is valid for five years. A renewal Preservation Curriculum, which consists of six areas closely procedure is being developed that will see certified mapped to the core archival functions: identify, select, store, professionals continue to take non-foundational courses as protect, manage, provide. The curriculum displays a heavily they are offered to retained their certification. The certificate is archival perspective. It situates the tools, concepts and models intended to reflect seven core competencies. These cut across of digital curation inside the professional framework of audience groups, professional roles and repository functions. archives. By doing so, it implies a post hoc approach to preservation, rather than pre-emptive curatorial involvement Like DPOE, this program has a digital archives orientation, that addresses the full lifecycle in its approach to digital despite the shared content with more definitively curation- objects. In this sense, the program reflects a narrow view of oriented programmes. This reflects the SAA's role as a digital preservation, rather than a holistic digital curation professional organization and the development of the orientation. This subtle shift is in keeping with the Library of programme to address needs of its members. Unfortunately, Congress' role as a national cultural repository and its archival the perspective in the programme is narrower than other orientation. training alternatives as a result, for example a narrower range of digital objects are addressed. Repositories in the cultural An additional product of the 2010 Training Needs Assessment heritage or scientific sectors manage a much wider range of Survey was the DPOE Pyramid27. The survey results indicated objects than the electronic records that are the focus for DAS. that there was benefit in parsing the training audience into three broad professional groups: executive, managerial, and K. nestor Nestor (Network of Expertise in long-term STOrage of 25 digital Resources in Germany) is a competence network and http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/education/ co-operative association for digital preservation in German- 26 http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/education/coreprinciples. speaking countries. Amongst their concerns are the html development and accessibility of training in digital curation. 27 http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/education/educationneeds.html# Current nestor training activities follow five streams: __utma=37760702.2113400002.1340813252.1340813252.134081325 occasional seminars taught by experts, nestor schools modeled 2.1&__utmb=37760702.5.9.1340813321399&__utmc=37760702&__ on early work by ERPANET, DPE and DELOS Preservation utmx=&__utmz=37760702.1340813252.1.1.utmcsr=digitalpreservati on.gov|utmccn=%28referral%29|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/education/ 28 &__utmv=-&__utmk=195900526 http://www2.archivists.org/prof-education/das Cluster, the continuously evolving nestor handbook, the need and is productive as introductory instruction, it is not an development of a co-operative curriculum, and the effective model for the on-going vocational training necessary development of e-learning modules29. The scope of these to meet the changing needs of working professionals. By activities is broader than most vocational education and including content in all of these areas, curricula are limited in incorporates universities involved in undergraduate and the depth at which they can examine any particular topic. graduate level programs in related fields. This reflects the co- Curators often have widely varying roles within their operative orientation of nestor and its objective of facilitating institutions and, while very few of them will need more than the development of a digital curation curriculum by members, introductory instruction in all areas, most will need more in- rather than controlling its own branded content [11]. depth training in some specific aspects of curation directly related to their daily activities. Placed in the categories of the The membership of nestor recognized as early as 2006 that DigCurV curriculum framework, current training methods are there was a need for a systematic approach to training and that serving the needs of managers and executives more effectively it could benefit from differentiating target groups. Like the than practitioners. DPOE pyramid, nestor separated practitioners and managers at different levels. In addition to working professionals, nestor Variations on this pattern exist, but tend to result from the added two groups of students in university programs. The final particular configuration of delivery such as short, targeted five target groups are upper management, middle management, workshops or self-contained units within a longer period. staff (working professionals or practitioners), graduate-level Several of the programmes surveyed also offer more advanced students and undergraduate-level students. nestor also instruction in the form of workshops on individual tools, acknowledged that the scope and breadth of the field were too techniques or methods, but the range of these workshops falls great for full coverage to be handled in any depth by any one short of the spectrum needed. Likewise, a number of training organization[11]. The co-operative nature of nestor enables the providers are engaged in offering courses customized to co-ordination of contributions to a large comprehensive institutional needs. Several benefits are gained from this curriculum and the dissemination of that content through a degree of customization, including a more precise targeting of range of means. The curriculum developed by members is needs and more appropriate delivery methods. Unfortunately, reflected in the different training activities. This content is also many of the institutions that require training the most will be captured in the nestor handbook, which has been published unable to exploit this opportunity for financial or other and maintained since March, 2007. Designed to be a reasons. Those that can are unlikely to see it as a sustainable, cumulative and comprehensive reference, it is developed or even repeatable, solution to their on-going training needs. iteratively to reflect the latest knowledge in the field. What these observations reveal is that there is a conflict at the III. DIGCURV CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK heart of curation training between general and specific needs that is manifested on both the individual and organizational This brief survey of curriculum initiatives has levels. At the International Curation Education (ICE) Forum in demonstrated a number of features that limit the effectiveness London, UK in 2011, one of the observations to emerge from of current training approaches. Most of the programmes the discussion was the existence of an unclear or poorly covered by this survey follow a similarly structured curriculum defined boundary between core curriculum content and that contains four components: introductory principles; specialized or extended content31. The unclear scope or range concepts and models; tool and metadata; and management of the content to be included in curricula, pressures instructors issues such as privacy, intellectual property and risk to be more inclusive in their course designs, to the detriment of management. Regardless of the particular instantiation, the the skills, knowledge and competencies that are unique to each material is presented in a similar order, with each section specific role. Unlike formal graduate degrees, vocational building on and referencing the previous components. training is about providing a continuous update of skills that Together these topics form a strong curriculum that assumes a have relevance within the immediate context of professional generic approach to digital curation and resembles a employment. Given that context, vocational training comprehensive introductory course. programmes have little choice but to address specialized needs The justification for this approach is understandable. Major directly. The DPOE needs survey provides some evidence to surveys of curation training needs conducted by DigCurV [5] support this. Amongst their survey questions, respondents and DPOE30 are consistent in indicating that a high priority is were asked to rank their training needs. Analysis of the placed on virtually all aspects of digital curation. responses indicates that all identified areas from high-level Unfortunately, while this approach does consider the areas of 31 29 http://nestor.sub.uni- Tibbo, Helen R. “Educating the Curator: Digital Curation goettingen.de/education/index.php?lang=en.. Education in the United States”. London, UK, 2011. 30 http://digitalpreservation.gov/education/documents/DPOE20 10Survey_CrossTabs.pdf strategic planning to management and technical skills out rank should be applicable beyond the particular instance of basic knowledge in importance by a considerable margin. employment. • Leverage existing knowledge: the participants in Within digital curation as a field, a similar question exists on a vocational training are assumed to be highly educated larger scale. It remains unclear if the features or characteristics information professionals who approach programmes that determine practices, task, strategies and programmes are with a well-developed skill set relevant to the curricula. entirely defined by the particulars of a situation or are subject These skills should be harnessed to maximize the to broader generalizations. At present this tension remains effectiveness of the training. unresolved. The number of variables that need to be given consideration in the development and execution of curation • Incorporate participant feedback: a mechanism should programmes will inevitably vary widely even between similar be in place to systematically gather and evaluate circumstances. Unfortunately, that underlying tension creates a feedback from the audience at every stage. This can be barrier that needs to be addressed to develop the replicable used to evaluate effectiveness and inform later iterations solutions that the modern digital environment demands. of the curriculum. • Address issues of all relevant digital object forms: The vocational training challenge facing the digital curation formats or file types that can reasonably be expected to community is less about disseminating knowledge than it is exist within a repository cannot be ignored by training about balancing competing needs. While there are no curricula. definitive solutions to the problem or methods for achieving • Utilize appropriate dissemination methods: vocational this balance, the survey of initiatives above has indicated training has a much wider range of potential delivery twelve characteristics that programmes should have if they are methods than other forms of education. The full spectrum to achieve a broader set of objectives. The characteristics of these methods should be explored in order to provide themselves are interrelated and not mutually exclusive: the audience with learning opportunities that match their • Sustainability: the field is in a constant state of needs. development training will need to be a continuous None of the programmes in this survey contain all of these process if professionals are to remain conversant with the characteristics. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. The latest advances. contribution of the DigCurV curriculum framework to this • Consistent Incremental Evolution; programmes must context is that it is a tool to structure course content and provide a stream of new knowledge as it emerges as well develop comprehensive plans for on-going training. By as instruction in the accepted body of general or separating curators into distinct groups, and identifying the foundational knowledge. skills, knowledge and competencies associated with each role, • Systematic: a structured approach to training is the framework helps trainers achieve the characteristics above. necessary to ensure all relevant topics are included, With this tool emphasis can be placed where it is most useful content is appropriately targeted and redundancy is kept and the redundancy of current approaches can be corrected. to a minimum. A major step would result from defining The details provided by each of the lenses can be used to a canon of preservation and curation knowledge that clarify boundaries for curriculum, while defining core and professionals require and keeping that canon under specialized content. It is unlikely that any single solution will review. ever exist to the problem of vocational training needs. • Tailored: curricula must fit the needs of the professional However, what the DigCurV curriculum does do is equip community, match the professional roles of participants, trainers to tackle these challenges and ensure that curricula are and be complimentary to their daily activities. as effective as possible. • Based on expert consensus: curricula should be distinguishable from open research questions in order to IV. RECOMMENDATIONS prevent vocational training becoming little more than a The DigCurV curriculum framework holds tremendous weather vane to academic debates. potential for the future of digital curation. Part of this potential • Operational: the orientation of the course content should resides in its on-going use and development. This report offers be towards practical results in real world scenarios. The a series of recommendations in order to develop effective material presented should be readily applicable in training curricula and maximize the impact of the framework curation workflows. on the current training landscape. The first recommendation is • Certification: training programmes should be embedded to map the curriculum framework to existing models of digital in a certification structure to provide evidence that curation and preservation such as OAIS and the DCC professionals have and are maintaining the relevant skill Lifecycle Model32. Such mapping will promote adoption by set Means should be in place for the maintenance of the 32 certified status through continued training. Students in Professor Seamus Ross’ Introduction to Digital • Portable: while the training should be tailored to specific Preservation at the University of Toronto in the Winter of jobs, the skills, knowledge and competencies learned 2013 experiments with mapping DigCurV Frameworks to demonstrating the skills, knowledge and competencies roles into specific knowledge, skills and competencies by the necessary to implement the models. It will also provide lenses creates small easily learned and applied units to which curators with the opportunity to position themselves in the MOOC instruction is naturally adept. A case study of digital models that guide curation programmes, and help to connect curation vocational training through MOOC’s would explore their daily activities to the larger functions of their institutions. the viability of this format, potentially extending the range and audience of curricula. One of the most significant contributions the curriculum framework can make to digital curation vocational training is ACKNOWLEDGMENT that it can be used as a basis to structure a formal certification The DigCurV project is funded by the Leonardo Da Vinci program. Following the DAS example, internationally agreed programme of the European Commission’s Education, certification will help to build consensus in the field by Audiovisual and Cultural Executive Agency. providing a common goal for trainers at different organizations. It can also help to disseminate emerging REFERENCES knowledge by including it in requirements for certification. [1] Molloy, Laura Molloy, Leo Konstantelos Ann Gow, David Wilson, This in turn will bridge the gap between research and practice, Seamus Ross and Nathan Moles, “D4.1 Initial curriculum for digital curators”, while demonstrating that certified professionals are acquainted DigCurV, 2013: http://www.digcur-education.org/eng/Media/Files/D4.1- with the latest developments in the field. The process of Initial-curriculum-for-digital-curators certification itself may benefit from the establishment of a [2] Molloy, Laura Molloy, Leo Konstantelos Ann Gow and David Wilson, “A multi-tiered system that distinguishes on-going vocational Curriculum Framework for Digital Curation”, DigCurV, 2013: http://www.digcurv.gla.ac.uk/ training from more formal graduate-level degrees or even between the different categories of professional identified by [3] Gow, A., Karvelyte, V., Klingaite, N., Kupriene, J., Molloy, L., Snow, K. DigCurV or DAS. (2012). ‘Report on baseline survey and evaluation Framework’: http://www.digcur-education.org/eng/Resources/D2.1.2-Evaluation- The development of a fourth lens is recommended. This idea Framework was discussed at the roundtable meeting in Florence, Italy, [4] Gow, A., Karvelyte, V., Klingaite, N., Kupriene, J., Molloy, L., Snow, K. where the lens under consideration was targeted at personal (2012). Report on baseline survey and evaluation Framework”: record keeping [12]. This would extend the benefits of the http://www.digcur-education.org/eng/Resources/D2.1.1-Survey-of-existing- training-opportunities framework beyond institutional curation programmes and the immediate purview of cultural heritage repositories. While [5] Engelhardt, Claudia, Stefan Strathmann and Katie McCadden, “D3.1 Report on Survey of Sector Training Needs”, DigCurV, 2012: there are advantages to this suggestion, a recommendation http://www.digcur-education.org/eng/Resources/Report-and-analysis-on-the- more in keeping with DigCurV's orientation would be for the training-needs-survey creation of a lens for data creators. This new lens could focus [6] S Ross, 2004, ‘ERPANET, A European Platform for Enabling Digital on knowledge that would assist creators to produce reliable, Preservation,’ Vine: The Journal of Information and Knowledge Management, well-documented and curatable digital objects. A lens of this 34.2 (issue 135), 77-83, ISSN 02196492 kind would bridge the gap between DigCurV's focus and that [7] DELOS Preservation Summer Schools 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008; see, of the DCC, making the curriculum framework of direct use in http://www.dpc.delos.info DCC's researcher training initiatives, while encouraging [8] Costello, Kaitlin Light, and Michael E. Brown. “Preliminary Report on the curation considerations to cover the full information lifecycle. 2010-2011 DigCCurr Professional Institute: Curation Practices for the Digital The definition of research data used by the DCC is broad Object Lifecycle.” D-Lib Magazine 16, no. 11/12 (November 2010). enough to encompass cultural heritage objects, and although http://www.dlib.org/dlib/november10/costello/11costello.html focused on the heritage sector, the curriculum framework is [9] Hank, Carolyn, and Joy Davidson. “International Data Curation Education versatile enough to be of use in other domains. Action (IDEA) Working Group.” D-Lib Magazine 15, no. 3/4 (March 2009). http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march09/hank/03hank.html. The final recommendation is to conduct case studies of the curriculum framework in use to develop, create and execute [10] Kilbride, William, Chiara Cirinnà, and Sharon McMeekin. Training in Digital Preservation: What We’ve Learned and What We’re Going to Do vocational training programmes. Studies of this kind would About It. Fondazione Rinascimento Digitale. demonstrate the framework's effectiveness, identify areas that [11] Neuroth, Heike, Achim Osswald, and Stefan Strathmann. “Qualification require further development, provide feedback into the & Education in Digital Curation: The Nestor Experience in Germany.” In development process and bring to light further use cases. The Proceedings of DigCurr 2009. Chapel Hill, NC, USA: University of North experience gained from use of the framework can reasonably Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2009. be expected to lead to more thorough and grounded advice [12] Cirinnà, Chiara, Kate Fernie and Maurizio Lunghi, Round table “Creating about its implementation. An optional worth exploring, is to a common vision for digital curation education: building alliances”, DigCurV, use the framework to structure curricula to be taught through 2013: http://www.digcur-education.org/eng/Resources MOOC’s (massive open online courses). The fragmentation of OAIS and the DCC Curation Lifecycle demonstrated the efficacy of this idea.