Open Sources: Training Communities of Practice for Complex Born-Digital Collections

FAIN: PE-284461-22

Myriad Consulting and Training Incorporated (Gainesville, FL 32601-5636)
Annie Peterson (Project Director: May 2021 to January 2023)
Elena M Cordova (Project Director: January 2023 to present)

The development and implementation of curricula, resources, workshops, and community events tailored to smaller cultural heritage institutions focused on preservation of and access to born-digital materials.

Myriad requests support to produce and present an innovative, multi-channel, collaborative born-digital preservation and access training program. The training program will combine past successful digital preservation training approaches with a new expansion of existing curricula to specifically address complex born-digital creative works, such as video and audio works, illustration, design works, software-based art, and installation art. It will specifically target smaller cultural heritage institutions and independent creators who have not had access to tailored, practical advice or communities of practice to support their preservation efforts in the past. If this funding request is awarded, Myriad will develop and present hybrid remote/in-person workshops and community building events in 6 regions throughout the United States, produce a Field Guide and Workbook for preserving digital creative works, design and print a Zine for digital artists and creators, and publish a white paper

Associated Products

Myriad Magpie: Introducing Maintenance Culture (Blog Post)
Title: Myriad Magpie: Introducing Maintenance Culture
Author: Annie Peterson
Abstract: Myriad is excited to announce we are the recipient of an NEH Education and Training Grant to support the Project “Maintenance Culture: Sustaining Digital Creative Works.” Work started on the project in March 2022, and will continue through February 2024. We will post updates here on the myriad magpie blog and on the project website as we work on the outcomes, including free workshops, skillshares, and more.
Date: 5/18/2022
Primary URL: https://www.myriad.consulting/blog/press-release
Blog Title: Introducing Maintenance Culture
Website: https://www.myriad.consulting/blog

Myriad Magpie Blog: Cultivating Maintenance Culture Communities (Blog Post)
Title: Myriad Magpie Blog: Cultivating Maintenance Culture Communities
Author: Annie Peterson
Abstract: We recently introduced our project Maintenance Culture: Sustaining Digital Creative Works. Throughout this project we’ll be working on building communities in six areas: Baltimore, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle, and the Midwest (city TBD). If you’re not near any of these, don’t worry, all of our resources will also be online, and we’ll be developing a skillshare hosting toolkit that you could use to host one in your area. The blog post details what's next for building communities.
Date: 6/30/22
Primary URL: http://myriadconsultants.org/blog/cultivating-mc-communities
Blog Title: Cultivating Maintenance Culture Communities
Website: Myriad Magpie Blog

Myriad Magpie Blog: What’s a Charrette? (Blog Post)
Title: Myriad Magpie Blog: What’s a Charrette?
Author: Annie Peterson
Abstract: Collaboration is a huge part of the Maintenance Culture project ethos, and our first big collaborative gathering is coming up on August 1 - 2. Myriad is gathering 24 incredible Maintenance Culture stakeholders / preservation and digital art powerhouses to start designing guidelines, workshop materials, tools, and resources to support institutions preserving born-digital, creative works. We’re calling the gathering a Charrette, which is a term we’re borrowing from other disciplines - it’s often used in urban planning. The blog post provides more details about what a Charrette is and how Myriad ran the event in August 2022.
Date: 7/27/22
Primary URL: http://myriadconsultants.org/blog/maintenance-culture-collaboration
Blog Title: What’s a Charrette?
Website: Myriad Magpie Blog

Myriad Magpie Blog: Charrette Recap part 1 (Blog Post)
Title: Myriad Magpie Blog: Charrette Recap part 1
Author: Annie Peterson
Abstract: On August 1 - 2, 2022 Myriad convened a gathering of video artists, digital creators, designers, archivists, librarians, and museum professionals to talk about preserving complex, born-digital, creative works at a design charrette (read more about what a charrette is in another blog post). The whole group was incredibly engaged, enthusiastic, and generous with their knowledge and time. The results of this gathering will lead to guidelines for preserving complex, born-digital, creative works; workshops and skillshares across the US; and tools and resources to support institutions and creators. The blog presents some findings from conversations across creators and maintainers at the Charrette.
Date: 8/10/22
Primary URL: http://myriadconsultants.org/blog/charrette-recap
Blog Title: Charrette Recap Part 1: Connecting Creators and Maintainers
Website: Myriad Magpie Blog

Myriad Magpie Blog: Making of Maintenance Culture (Blog Post)
Title: Myriad Magpie Blog: Making of Maintenance Culture
Author: Annie Peterson
Abstract: When we started Maintenance Culture we wanted a quickly recognizable visual identity for the project - something that communicates qualities of the work, catches the eye, and unifies materials that we create through the project. Abby Doyle worked with us to make our Maintenance Culture branding dreams come true. Abby is the designer and owner behind ADoyle Designs. She brainstormed with us by taking from abstract concepts like sustainability, digital preservation, and creative works, and used them to develop the amazing logo, colors, and name for Maintenance Culture.
Date: 9/6/2022
Primary URL: http://https://myriadconsultants.org/blog/making-of-maintenance-culture
Blog Title: Making of Maintenance Culture
Website: Myriad Magpie Blog

Myriad Magpie Blog: Charrette Recap part 2 (Blog Post)
Title: Myriad Magpie Blog: Charrette Recap part 2
Author: Annie Peterson
Abstract: Myriad gathered a group of creators and maintainers of born-digital, creative works to start defining guidelines and building a curriculum for sustaining access to complex digital creative works. We called the gathering a Charrette, which you can read more about in an earlier blog post, and you can read Part 1 of the recap on our blog too. Many people we gathered at the Charrette had never met before, and never collaborated before! We brought together 20 people, with 20 individual perspectives, experiences, and relationships with born-digital, creative works. To build some cohesion across the group, set a base for decision-making, and guide our work throughout the Charrette, we facilitated an exercise to identify shared values.
Date: 9/28/22
Primary URL: http://myriadconsultants.org/blog/charrette-recap-2
Blog Title: Charrette Recap part 2: Establishing Values

Poster: Maintenance Culture: Sustaining Digital Creative Works (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Poster: Maintenance Culture: Sustaining Digital Creative Works
Author: Jessica Bitely
Author: Annie Peterson
Author: Frances Harrell
Abstract: This poster was presented on December 8, 2022, at the Association for Moving Image Archivists conference. The poster provides an overview of Maintenance Culture, and details on the guidelines, the project's collaborative approach, and the 2023 workshops and skillshares.
Date: 12/08/2022
Conference Name: Association of Moving Image Archivists

Poster: Maintenance Culture: Sustaining Digital Creative Works (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Poster: Maintenance Culture: Sustaining Digital Creative Works
Author: Frances Harrell
Author: Annie Peterson
Abstract: Maintenance Culture is a project by Myriad funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities to address preserving complex, born-digital, creative works in small cultural heritage institutions. Myriad and collaborators are creating and presenting digital preservation training, expanding on existing curricula to specifically address sustaining access in smaller institutions to digital design, time-based media art, augmented reality, and software or net art. The poster provides an overview of the project, information on the forthcoming Maintenance Culture guidelines, and information on how to get involved in your local Maintenance Culture community.
Date: 12/07/2022
Conference Name: Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists

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