Launching N-RICH Environmental and Sustainability Strand

[Sharon McMeekin]

We are very pleased to announce the official launch of the Environmental and Sustainability strand of a new National Research Infrastructure for Cultural Heritage (N-RICH) Prototype project. This two-year initiative represents a significant investment in the UK's renowned cultural heritage collections, made possible through funding from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Infrastructure Fund Preliminary Activity grant awarded to the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The project is being delivered by the Towards a National Collection (TaNC) programme in close collaboration with AHRC.

InformU Solutions, partnering with Preserve Together, are leading the Environmental and Sustainability strand of the N-RICH Prototype project. Working with a selection of GLAM partners, they will create a catalogue of digital preservation processes, which will be benchmarked to assess both environmental and financial impacts. 

This groundbreaking framework aims to provide invaluable resources to the digital cultural heritage community, supporting sustainable practices now and into the future. In addition to research findings, it will focus on providing practical guidance for Digital Preservation and IT staff to support strategy development and decision-making. 

InformU are specialists in both digital and physical workplace transformation. They will leverage their ongoing global research into the environmental impact of digital practices. They provide a platform for digital Environmental, Social, and Governance assessment, recordkeeping and planning. 

Reynold Leming, Managing Director of InformU Solutions, says "It is incredibly exciting to be involved in this interesting, highly valuable and internationally important initiative. It recognises the critical imperative of both understanding and responding to the environmental impact of long-term preservation and embedding financial sustainability into digital practices." 

Preserve Together provide a broad range of training and consultancy services to help support organisations and individuals reach their digital preservation goals. Drawing on over 40 years' experience as practitioners and leaders in the field, they will be steering the project's approach to digital preservation good practice. 

Sharon McMeekin, Co-Director of Preserve Together, says: "The environmental impact of digital preservation has become a core concern for the practitioner community. We're proud to be contributing to the development of this evidence-based framework that will facilitate decision-making around how to balance environmental sustainability against risks to digital content." 

For further information about InformU, please refer to https://informuco2.com/ or their corporate website https://informu-solutions.com/. To learn more about Preserve Together, visit: https://www.preservetogether.com/ .

Sharon McMeekin (she/her)

Consultant

Preserve Together: Training and Consultancy

www.preservetogether.com 

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