Adjunct Professor at the School of Information Management atVictoria University of Wellington, Penny Carnaby gave an address on 4 March 2009 entitled "The Delete Generation: Citizen-created content, digital equity, and the preservation of community memory".

Abstract:

" A quiet, grassroots-led, revolution on the Web is challenging the way librarians have traditionally viewed the protection and preservation of knowledge. While the complex issues concerning the protection and preservation of digital assets are better understood by the information professions, there is still much thinking required about the preservation and protection of the new wave of citizen-created content.

Traditionally information professionals in all types of memory institutions have clearly met the need for and nature of the preservation activities around formal and authoritative knowledge services and systems. However, informal citizen-created, knowledge activities are far less straightforward in terms of preservation. These activities arise and evolve as individual citizens develop as authors, content creators, thought leaders, filmmakers, blog diarists, etc. There is at present an extraordinary unleashing of content creation by individual citizens.

This development challenges established organisational systems and professional practice in an unprecedented way, and this paper outlines some of the issues involved in the preservation of digital assets in this environment. It explores how all memory institutions, including archives, galleries, museums and libraries in particular, can value and protect a country's digital assets in both formal and informal arena.

This paper explores the challenges and unlimited potential of Web 2.0, in reshaping thinking about what digital assets to collect and protect over time. "

The lecture was recorded and can be viewed by clicking on the link.