Jessica Meyerson
Research Program Officer
Educopia Institute
Brandon Butler
Director of Information Policy
University of Virginia
The Software Preservation Network (SPN) was instantiated in 2016 as a volunteer network of individuals and organizations committed to the long-term preservation, sharing and reuse of software. Through our working groups and affiliated projects, we are developing tools, guidelines, and workflows that build capacity for a broad range of cultural stewardship organizations to participate in software. One of its affiliated projects (which relied on SPN’s network and resources extensively) is the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Software Preservation. This briefing will catch attendees up on the latest developments with SPN, including its recently issued prospectus, and give an overview of the Code as an example of SPN’s efforts to support software preservation. Panelists will answer the following questions:
• How has the software preservation landscape evolved over the past three years, and what has been SPN’s role in that evolution?
• How does SPN work and what resources has it developed through its working groups and affiliated projects?
• What are fair use best practices and how do they help communities apply fair use?
• Why does the software preservation community need fair use?
• How does the Code of Best Practices impact and accelerate the work of the software preservation community?
http://www.softwarepreservationnetwork.org/ http://www.arl.org/news/arl-news/4629-software-preservation-best-practices-in-fair-use-to-help-safeguard-cultural-record-advance-research#.W7iWiGhKg2x