Supporting Software Preservation Services in Research and Memory Organizations

This white paper from the Software Preservation Network’s Research-in-Practice Working Group presents findings from a survey- and interview-based study of software preservation service providers, including archivists, librarians, preservation specialists, technologists, and other information professionals.

Supporting Software Preservation Services in Research and Memory Organizations identifies concepts, skill sets, barriers, and future directions related to software preservation work. Although definitions of “software” can vary across preservation contexts, the study found that there appears to be wide support for inter-organizational collaboration in software preservation. The report includes 13 recommendations for broadening representation in the field, defining the field, networking and community building, informal and formal learning, and implementing shared infrastructures and model practices.

All products of this study are shared in Zenodo under open licenses that permit adaptation and reuse, at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7086618.

CLIR’s participation in this project and the publication of this report were made possible with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation‘s Digital Technology program.