April 7, 2009 -- The National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program was well represented at the Indo-US Workshop on International Trends in Digital Preservation (external link) held in Pune, India on March 24-25, 2009. Workshop objectives included learning from the experiences of other nations and developing a strategy for implementing the Indian National Digital Preservation Programme (external link).
Panelists at the 2009 Indo-US Workshop on International Trends in Digital Preservation.
The meeting opened with remarks from S. P. Dixit, Director-in-Charge of the Indian Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (external link), the workshop sponsor. Dixit stressed the critical importance of preserving and making available Indian digital cultural heritage. This theme was further developed by Dr. A.K Chakravarti, Advisor with the Indian Department of Information Technology.
Chakravarti noted "a need to understand and adopt international best practices and international standards," and to "learn from the experience of other countries, learn from the experience of other domains." He set the Indian cultural context by stating that digital preservation was needed to ensure that people could "watch Satyajit Ray films or hear the Oscar winning Rehman 'Jai Yo' song in 50 years."
Audience at the 2009 Indo-US Workshop on International Trends in Digital Preservation.
The balance of the program was made up of presentations from Indian and international speakers. The latter included several individuals who spoke about NDIIPP-related activities, including Joseph JaJa (who served as the lead U.S. Principal Investigator for the Workshop), Victoria Reich, Keith Johnson, Micah Altman, G. Sayeed Choudhury, Steven Morris, and Reagan W. Moore. Bill LeFurgy represented the Library of Congress. The full slate of speakers, along with their presentations, are available on the workshop web site.
The workshop concluded with a panel of international and Indian participants who offered recommendations for how India could advance its interest in digital stewardship. Suggestions included developing a roadmap or strategic plan to guide implementation, further stakeholder meetings, and demonstration projects to enable shared learning.
