Week 2 of our data collection for the Humanities Collections and Reference Resources grant saw the ELL Team hone in on an exact number of Flash and Shockwave works currently held in the ELO Repository. This meant we had to examine over 1500 works in the various collections held by ELO, identify those that were produced with Flash and Shockwave, and determine the versions of these software used to produce them. We then had to cross reference the works with the files held on the server to make sure that we had the local files for all. In total, we found that we have 487 that can be included in the project. This means that roughly a third of all works collected by the ELO, to date, were produced with Flash and Shockwave and, so, will be included in the project.
Following this work, we discussed the process by which the preservation will take place and determined these steps:
- Identify Flash and Shockwave works held in the journals, anthologies, and showcases collected in the ELO’s archives in the “ELO Repository.” This step will have been completed by the end of next week.
- ELO Repository: Supported through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
- List of Flash / Shockwave works: Supported through a seed grant from WSUV
- Fine tune each work’s metadata in the ELO Repository, and add software type, software version, and dependencies (i.e. plug-ins)
- Record works using Rhizome.org’s Webrecorder tool, organizing works into three categories of complexity (Level 1, “easy;” Level 2, “moderate;” and Level 3, “complex”) based on the level of user interaction, type of software, and access to local files
- Store recorded works in the ELO’s archives, and add the URL to each recorded work to the journals, anthologies, and showcases where the work was originally published to ensure access
- Document works in scholarly databases (i.e. ELMCIP.net,Electronic Literature Directory)
- Create a special collection of Flash / Shockwave works in the ELO Repository so that the works are readily available on the site’s interface
- Produce a white paper and video documentation that provide scholars and authors of born digital literary works with best practices and the process, respectively, for preserving Flash and Shockwave literary works
I also began work on a draft of the budget. The good news is that we can complete these tasks with the funds allotted. I have to give up some things on my wish list, but the project is doable.