The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) has published "An Overview of Emulation as a Preservation Method," co-authored by Dr. Eric Kaltman and five other members of the Software Preservation Network's Technological Infrastructure Working Group. The report is the latest addition to CLIR's Pocket Burgundy series and represents a comprehensive guide for cultural heritage professionals considering emulation strategies.

Co-authored with Winnie Schwaid-Lindner (Louisiana State University Libraries), Drey Jonathan, Andrew Borman (Strong National Museum of Play), Alex Garnett (Simon Fraser University), and Larry Masinter (Interlisp.org), the report introduces fundamental concepts related to emulation in practice and explains key considerations for sound decision-making about when to employ emulation techniques.

The publication addresses a growing need within libraries, archives, museums, and galleries as they face challenging decisions about preserving digital collections. "Emulation makes it possible to interact with historical data and digital artifacts in ways that are more consistent with creators' intentions, helping contemporary users better understand digital works in their original context," the report explains.

A key motivation for the work was accessibility. "A driving motivation of this Pocket Burgundy is to make emulation more approachable and accessible to people across GLAM [galleries, libraries, archives, and museums], especially those without deep technical backgrounds," notes co-author Winnie Schwaid-Lindner.

The report includes a comprehensive review of academic literature related to emulation and suggests new avenues for future exploration, providing both newcomers and experienced practitioners with current state-of-the-art understanding. The work builds on several years of documentation and insight-sharing by the Software Preservation Network's working group, aimed at establishing best practices for scalable infrastructure solutions.

The publication is available as a free digital download on CLIR's website as part of their commitment to making preservation knowledge accessible to the broader cultural heritage community.

SHFT Graduate Research Assistant Eleanor Young presented "The Medley Interlisp Project: Reviving a Historical Software System" at the 2025 IEEE Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering (CCECE). The paper, co-authored with Dr. Larry Masinter and Herb Jellinek from Interlisp.org, Dr. Eric Kaltman, and fellow graduate student Abhik Hasnain, provides a comprehensive academic overview of a large-scale historical software recovery effort.

The presentation detailed the five-year journey of the Medley Interlisp Project, which aims to revive Medley Interlisp—the final release of the groundbreaking programming environment originally developed at Xerox PARC in the 1970s and 1980s. Medley Interlisp pioneered many concepts now taken for granted in modern computing, including the first UNDO function, intelligent auto-correction (Do-What-I-Mean), and comprehensive operation history tracking.

Young emphasized the project's broader significance: "This work demonstrates that historical software systems contain valuable ideas that shouldn't be lost to technological obsolescence. Many innovative concepts were abandoned not because they were inferior, but due to shifting technological priorities."

The paper establishes a blueprint for similar long-term historical software recovery projects, documenting both technical challenges and collaborative strategies. The Medley project's partnership with SHFT has been particularly productive, with University of Alberta graduate students contributing to bibliography maintenance, documentation rewriting, and public outreach efforts.

The presentation contributes to growing recognition of software archaeology as a vital field for preserving digital heritage and recovering potentially valuable computational approaches from historical systems.

The SHFT Group has been included in an award of $186,346 from the University of Alberta's Strategic Research Initiatives Fund (SRIF) to establish the Interdisciplinary Media Production, Research, and Experimental Spaces (IMPRESS) project. The two-year seed funding award was announced by the Office of the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and will run from May 1, 2025 to April 30, 2027.

Led by Principal Investigator Dr. PB Berge in collaboration with Dr. Eric Kaltman, IMPRESS will create state-of-the-art laboratory spaces to support interdisciplinary research across media preservation, fabrication, and production. The project will establish three specialized labs:

• SHFT Lab for media preservation research, including forensic workstations and legacy computing systems
• CRYPT Lab for media fabrication, featuring 3D printers, CNC equipment, and digital fabrication tools
• Media Production Center (MPC) with video production equipment, VR capabilities, and collaborative spaces

The funding will support laboratory renovations, specialized equipment acquisition, graduate student training, and expert consultation services. The project represents a significant investment in Digital Humanities infrastructure at the University of Alberta, enabling new forms of interdisciplinary collaboration between Media and Technology Studies, computer science, and the digital arts.

This infrastructure will directly support SHFT's ongoing research in software preservation, emulation workflows, and historical recovery of digital media while fostering new partnerships across campus and with external institutions.