title: How can the UNESCO PERSIST Programme bring about Digital Sustainability through Legacy Software Services?
creators: Janet Delve Natasa Milic-Frayling C. A. L. Lee David Anderson
abstract: This workshop will address the topic of sustained access to digital content by providing a legal framework and a technical platform for hosting and distributing functional legacy software. Both aspects represent key areas of the UNESCO PERSIST1 [12] Programme that will focus on the preservation of the digital heritage under the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. The objective of the workshop is to engage Digital Preservation Practitioners, Memory Organizations, the ICT industry and policy makers in the discussion of (1) use cases for the international platforms of legacy software services, e.g., applications to preserving increasingly complex digital objects, (2) engagement models among the stakeholders that would lead to revenue streams and economically sustainable services, and (3) legal frameworks that ensure flexible use of legacy software in the far future, e.g., policies to guide life-cycle management of critical software and ‘fair use of software’ beyond its market lifespan. The workshop fits most naturally into the innovative practices in digital preservation strand due to its pragmatic approach, but will also cover some research into digital preservation given the novel nature of the topic.