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Are you a digital curator who thinks, like us, that software preservation is increasingly a consideration for you and your organisation and you want a head start in the subject? If so, we’ve got the event for you.

As the final part of our study, we’re holding a FREE workshop for digital curators and repository managers to understand and discuss the particular challenges of software preservation. It’s on Monday 7 February 2011 and will be held in London. There is increasingly a need to preserve software: for example software is sometimes needed to unlock accompanying research data and make it (re)usable, or software is often a research output in its own right. The workshop’s premise is that curators and software developers will need to collaborate to preserve software: the curator needing the technical knowledge of the developer, and the developer needing the preservation expertise and mandate of the curator. This workshop is intended to be the first ‘bridging’ event between these two previously separate communities – so ground-breaking in its own small way. Friendly technical expertise will be provided by the Software Sustainability Institute and the STFC. It’s a workshop for curation practitioners where real examples can be discussed and useful advice exchanged.

Our briefing paper targeted at curators gives you a taster of what’ll be explored in more detail at the event.

Benefits of attending:

• You stay abreast of key developments in your professional field
• Your organisation gets a headstart in this up and coming area
• You get free technical advice from the Software Sustainability Institute
• You get some great networking opportunities

Registration will open at 10:30am, with the workshop starting promptly at 11am on Monday 7 February at Brettenham House. Lunch will be provided. We are aiming to finish the event at 3pm but will be holding a surgery-style session for additional queries, and walk-throughs of the methodologies available to help you, until 4pm.

Detailed agenda:

• 1030hrs Registration opens
• 1030-1055hrs Tea, coffee, biscuits and initial networking
• 1100hrs Welcome and introduction to the workshop
• 1110hrs Series of mini-keynotes: Kevin Ashley (DCC), Neil Chue Hong (SSI) and Brian Matthews (STFC)
• 1200hrs Small group exercise on the range of challenges of, and perspectives on, software preservation
• 1245-1330hrs Lunch and networking
• 1330hrs An overview of practical approaches
• 1340hrs Small group exercise on applying the approaches within your institution
• 1445hrs Summary of new work that JISC is funding, and how JISC research and services can help you
• 1455hrs Final summary and thank you
• 1500-1600hrs Surgery-style problem-solving session, and walk-throughs of the methodologies available