o:294080
Retrocomputing as Preservation
Poster - iPRES 2012 - Digital Curation Institute, iSchool, Toronto
en
This project explores the world of retrocomputing, a constellation of largely—though not exclusively—non-professional practices involving old computing technology. Retrocomputing includes many activities that can be seen as constituting “preservation,” and in particular digital preservation. At the same time, however, it is often transformative, producing assemblages that “remix” fragments from the past with newer elements or joining historic components that were never previously combined. While such “remix” may seem to undermine preservation, it allows for fragments of computing history to be reintegrated into a living, ongoing practice, contributing to preservation in a broader sense. The seemingly unorganized nature of retrocomputing assemblages also provides space for alternative “situated knowledges” and histories of computing, which can be quite sophisticated. Recognizing such alternative epistemologies in turn paves the way for alternative approaches to preservation. The institutional digital preservation community may have a lot to gain from paying closer attention to retrocomputing. This gain, however, should not just involve looking for ways to make use of the knowledge and labor of retrocomputing enthusiasts. Rather, it is important to recognize the value of their projects on their own terms and ask in what ways institutional efforts can support such projects.
iPRES, iSchool, Toronto, Canada, retrocomputing, software preservation, remix
2013-06-21T00:57:57.914Z
44
no
46
Yuri
Takhteyev
person
Quinn
DuPont
application/pdf
572987
http://phaidra.univie.ac.at/o:294080
no
yes
13
70
12
1068391
1068398
"iPres 2012 - Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Preservation of Digital Objects." Editors: Reagan Moore, Kevin Ashley, Seamus Ross
333
335
"iPres 2012 - Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Preservation of Digital Objects." Editors: Reagan Moore, Kevin Ashley, Seamus Ross
140 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S3G6
Digital Curation Institute, iSchool University of Toronto
2012-11-01
https://ipres.ischool.utoronto.ca/sites/ipres.ischool.utoronto.ca/files/iPres%202012%20Conference%20Proceedings%20Final.pdf