Software Preservation Special Interest Group

The purpose of the Software Special Interest Group would include but not be limited to the following:

• Collaboration on a comprehensive access strategy for the full range of born-digital formats across cultural repositories on The University of Texas at Austin campus

• Systematic round-up of older/legacy software on campus colleges and departments on campus before it is destroyed

• Teasing out issues surrounding the grey area of software (collection material or tool for access of existing born-digital collection material)

• Collaboration on policies that include software collection and preservation

• Critical examination of existing frameworks for software preservation - including metadata projects to describe these objects

• Generating a shared data set about media imaging failure rates and other software-related issues

• Generating reports that articulate shared concerns over cloud based subscription software and other issues on the horizon that will affect preservation and access to born-digital materials

• Discussing possible additions to university (sustainability) policy that encourages colleges and departments (IT) to participate in the software round-up/preservation program

• Sharing ideas, articles, and concerns