iSchool faculty Barbara Endicott-Popovsky and Joseph T. Tennis are members of the InterPARES team that secured a $2.5 million grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for their proposal, “Trust and Digital Records in an Increasingly Networked Society.” 

The project, led by Luciana Duranti at University of British Columbia, is the latest phase of ongoing research that began in 1999 and focuses on long-term preservation and verification of digital records for a variety of users. 

The goal of the new project is to propose legal and other infrastructure reform, model policies, procedures, and practices, and functional requirements for the systems in which Internet providers store and manage digital records. This includes digital records kept in social media applications and in the cloud.

“In the iSchool we know that information is at the very core of society and culture. The internet is now the place where most of that information resides and is shared, and it is imperative that individuals and organizations are able to trust that their information is accurate and secure,” says Endicott-Popovsky, co-director of the project’s North American team and information assurance expert. “

“Our participation in this project will allow us to contribute our security and knowledge organization expertise, expand our understanding of digital records management, and connect us with academic leaders on six continents. It also provides interesting research and presentation opportunities to iSchool students.”

The partnership includes universities and organizations, national and multinational, public and private, in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Australasia, and Asia. The academic researchers have expertise in archival science, records management, diplomatics, law, information technology, communication and media, e-commerce, health informatics, cybersecurity, information governance and assurance, digital forensics, computer engineering, and information policy.

The first convening workshop associated with the new grant will take place in Seattle this October with the theme of cloud security. The first two days will be open to the public and a third day is reserved for project participants.