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Preparing the Workforce for Digital Curation (2015) / Chapter Skim
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Chapter 1 New Imperatives in Digital Curation and Its Workforce
Pages 7-16

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From page 7...
... The implications of this revolution in digital information include an imperative for effective long-term digital curation and a workforce sufficient in skill and number to meet that challenge. The vast increase in the quantity of digital information is made possible by computer and networking technologies that create, capture, copy, share, and store massive amounts of information easily and at very low cost.
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From page 8...
... This vast increase in the sheer quantity of digital information -- from whatever source or sector, whether originating in or transferred to digital format, and whether consisting of data or metadata -- presents many challenges for digital curation. The capture, management, preservation, and storage of content this large require significant curatorial skills and knowledge.
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From page 9...
... Methods and approaches of digital curation will also need to be adjusted in response to the tremendous range of resources, methodologies, and organization of workflows in the very different settings where digital curation activities occur. 1.4 Statement of Task The revolution in digital information requires an accompanying surge in the advancement of digital curation, and therefore in the digital curation workforce.
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From page 10...
... The remainder of this chapter defines digital curation and its key elements, reflects further on the characteristics of digital curation and its workforce, delineates the topical scope and time frame of the committee's work, and presents the organization of this report. 1.5 Definition of Terms 1.5.1 Digital Curation For the purposes of this study, digital curation is defined as the active management and enhancement of digital information assets for current and future use.
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From page 11...
... Active management of digital information entails a wide range of both managerial and technical activities. Relevant managerial activities include developing policies for digital curation; assessing risks to the organization that might result from current technology, policies, and curation practices; identifying information assets; evaluating the effectiveness of systems and processes that support digital curation; monitoring compliance with regulations and best practices; mobilizing financial and technical resources for curation; and recruiting and training qualified digital curation personnel to support consistent curation practices across an organization.
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From page 12...
... The organizational and institutional settings in which digital curation is accomplished also vary along a large spectrum. Some of these, such as formal data centers and repositories or government statistical agencies, may be explicitly dedicated to the curation of digital information.
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From page 13...
... After reviewing definitions of these new jobs, the committee decided that positions that focus exclusively or primarily on developing algorithms, refining statistical techniques, mining data, and applying analytics to data did not fall within the committee's definition of digital curation. Digital curation differs from data science and analytics because curation is needed for many types of digital information, such as websites, blogs, social media, music, videos, geospatial information, online publications, and textual databases, to name but a few examples.
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From page 14...
... Although emerging career paths of professional digital curators were investigated, it was not possible to analyze the economic and social importance of employment opportunities occurring across the full range of digital curation activities. The committee recognized that digital information flows readily across national borders through interconnected global infrastructures.
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From page 15...
... NEW IMPERATIVES IN DIGITAL CURATION AND ITS WORKFORCE 15 1.9 References Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Science and Technology Council.
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Key Terms

  • digital curation
  • curation activities
  • information assets
  • active management
  • data science

  • vast increase
  • digital curator
  • curation workforce
  • information handlers
  • curation differs

  • curation comprises
  • curation knowledge
  • information include
  • curation practices
  • technical activities

  • data analytics
  • curatorial expertise
  • potential future
  • social importance
  • dynamic nature

  • sheer quantity
  • workforce sufficient
  • analyze digital
  • digital format
  • storing digital

  • professional digital
  • qualified digital
  • preserving digital
  • defined digital
  • digital curators


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