On the train bringing me back to Brussels on Friday, September 20, 2024, it’s time to reflect after attending the iPres 2024 conference in Ghent, Belgium, for the first time.
FriPres Day, a New Feature!
The first day, a “pre-opening” of iPres on Monday, was also a first for the conference. My colleague Morgän Attias initiated a groundbreaking event: during previous sessions, he noticed that French-speaking actors in digital preservation expressed a desire to come together. He proposed to the organizing committee of the 2024 session to organize an afternoon called “FriPres” (https://fripres.com/) to kick off the event. The iPres organizing committee kindly provided us with a room for this occasion.
During this afternoon, we heard fascinating presentations. Marion Ville from the VITAM project demonstrated the use of tools to assist in the collection of archives, such as Archifiltre (https://archifiltre.fabrique.social.gouv.fr/), ReSIP (https://www.programmevitam.fr/pages/ressources/resip/), and Octave (https://francearchives.gouv.fr/fr/article/88482499).
Arnaud Hulstaert from SMALS (https://smals.be/fr) presented feedback on a public third-party archiving platform, sharing his vision of “living archives” and offering advice on building an archiving system capable of handling 500,000 consultations per month.
Hugues Cazeaux from the University of Geneva shared the “recipes” of the Yareta research data repository (https://www.unige.ch/eresearch/fr/projets/yareta/) and discussed future prospects for DNA archiving!
As for me, I presented insights from 20 years of working with the Arcsys software. These years have been rich in lessons and highlight the necessity of collaboration in the field of digital preservation.
We hope this initiative can be renewed, in one form or another, at future editions of iPres!
Discovering iPres 2024
On Tuesday, I explored the iPres conference and the different types of sessions it offers:
“Lightning Talks” must be particularly stressful for speakers. Indeed, they have just 5 minutes to present their chosen topic. Naturally, our client Belspo’s lightning talk, showcasing their experience with Arcsys implementation, especially caught my attention (and apparently that of the audience as well, since their talk won an award during the closing ceremony!).
“Papers” and “Panels” are longer and often allow multiple speakers to discuss or answer questions from the audience. The session on cloud computing and digital preservation left a strong impression on me, highlighting that for academic institutions with their own storage infrastructure experts, moving to “full cloud” raises societal questions: is it beneficial for these institutions to lose their expertise in favor of private companies? More concrete aspects were also addressed, such as the significant cost reductions for automatic integrity checks in the cloud, depending on the chosen architecture. A final conference by Aaron Perzanowski on intellectual property and the preservation of cultural resources raised the thorny issue of streaming films, which, unlike traditional films, escape the usual sharing of cultural works by libraries and public institutions.
The “bake-offs” are particularly fun and hands-on. They allow participants to demonstrate their products (with a “Top Chef” theme, where each participant must wear a chef’s hat!). A special admiration goes to those who dared to do live demonstrations in front of an audience. Undoubtedly, the demonstration of archiving on glass and ceramic substrates, which can withstand being baked in an oven, left a lasting impression!
“Birds of a Feather” workshops bring participants together around a table to discuss a particular topic. I attended a workshop on the Francophonie and the need to work collectively to develop a common glossary in the field of digital preservation. Another workshop introduced me to the fact that some private photo storage companies have created foundations to reflect on the long-term preservation of what can be considered humanity’s cultural heritage.
Personal Reflections
In the end, what did I take away from these days on a personal level?
– Above all, I felt the presence of a passionate community dedicated to digital preservation. Among the participants were numerous researchers, archivists, and specialists in various technical or professional fields who were able to convey their passion, often with humor and humility, during the sessions. It was inspiring to feel part of this community and to discover that we share the same interests and sometimes the same questions.
– The organization of the conference was impeccable, with a well-thought-out app system that allowed attendees to track the locations of the various conferences and even annotate real-time notes on the proceedings. The catering service was flawless as well! I would like to thank the hardworking organizers and staff.
– The language issue is not insignificant. At such an international conference, our English skills are sometimes put to the test depending on the speakers’ nationalities and accents. This is why sessions or conferences in French are valuable, as they also strengthen ties within the French-speaking communities.
– Finally, Ghent (https://visit.gent.be/fr) is a tourist gem! The boat tour offered at the end of the day by the organizers allowed us to discover some of its many facets. My first participation in iPres 2024 was a highly enriching experience, marked by fascinating exchanges and diverse feedback. I had the opportunity to feel fully integrated into an international community dedicated to digital preservation. This event has strengthened my conviction that by collaborating and sharing our expertise, we can meet the challenges ahead. I look forward to contributing further to these discussions in future editions.
Mikaël Mechoulam