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Play it Again 2 project
04 February, 2021

AARNet joins the Software Preservation Network

AARNet is pleased to announce its membership to the Software Preservation Network (SPN), an international community based in USA that aims to advance the practice of curating and preserving software.

AARNet’s membership compliments its participation in the Digital Preservation Coalition and is in support of the ARC Linkage Project Play It Again: Preserving Australian videogame history of the 1990s lead by Prof Melanie Swalwell at Swinburne University with collaborators from RMIT and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) .

An important component of Play It Again is emulation of obsolete computing environments. The SPN Emulation-as-a-Service Infrastructure (EaaSI) program of work is developing the technology, services and community to expand and scale the emulation platform and network, and consider legal issues in the sharing and reuse of software.

Beyond historic video games, emulation has broad application across cultural heritage and research organisations tasked with the ongoing challenge of preserving and accessing software and complex digital material. During 2021 the EaaSI pilot will make this service available to participating institutions and aims to deliver improved performance, security and usability of the service.

AARNet’s participation will focus on establishing the shared infrastructure to provide this service to Australian Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAMs) and academic institutions.

More information

For more information please contact Adam Bell, AARNet Manager Cultural Outreach.