Dodging the Memory Hole 2016: Saving Online News was one of 20 initiatives to receive grant funding this week from the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. The forum is a part of an event series of the Journalism Digital News Archive at the University of Missouri and will promote the preservation of born-digital news content.  

The Laura Bush program is part of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which also awarded 20 grants through its National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program. An IMLS announcement stated that more than $13 million was awarded to organizations through both programs. 

According to the announcement, LB21 “supports projects to recruit and educate the next generation of librarians, faculty, and library leaders.” 

“I congratulate the grant recipients for their forward-thinking and creative projects that recognize some of the most pressing needs of the fields of library, archive, and information science,” said IMLS Director Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew of all grant recipients in the IMLS announcement. “The long-term impacts of these IMLS investments will be evident for many years to come.”

Conference educates on born-digital news preservation

Dodging the Memory Hole 2016 will be held October 13 and 14 at UCLA.

“The IMLS and RJI funds enable the Dodging the Memory Hole community to continue and accelerate progress toward a national agenda for saving born-digital news,” says Edward McCain, digital curator of journalism at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute and University of Missouri Libraries. “This financial support will allow us to focus on one of the most pressing issues facing society today: how can we preserve ‘the first rough draft of history’ published on websites, social media platforms and yet-to-be invented online distribution channels?”

During the conference, attendees will explore preservation and access of content produced by not only traditional media outlets, but also alternative online sources and citizen journalists. The two-day forum is being organized by JDNA, a program of RJI and MU Libraries, in partnership with the UCLA Library and the Educopia Institute. DTMH will feature archivists, academic researchers, journalists, technologists and other stakeholders passionate about preserving born-digital news. Sessions will present and discuss these issues, plan agendas for solving problems and update attendees about existing initiatives.