Digitization
New Zeland National Digital Heritage Archive
- Mandate to collect, make accessible, and preserve in perpetuity digital heritage
- 4 years in the making
What makes long term digital preservation difficult?
From: Mind the Gap, http://www.dpconline.org/docs/reports/ukmindthegap.pdf
- Deterioration of the storage medium
- Obsolescence of the storage medium
- Obsolescence of the software (OS, apps, drivers)
- Obsolescence of the hardware required to run the software
- Failure to document the format adequately
- Long-term management
What makes long term storage of digital information difficult?
Research is plentiful and conclusive:
- Blue Ribbon Task Force - Sustainable Digital Preservation and Access (December 2008, interim report)
- Mind the Gap (2006)
- Library Technology Reports - Preservation of Digital Materials (February/March 2008).
- Census of IR in the US - Miracle Project (February 2007)
- OAIS Reference Model Development (January 20023)
- Trusted Digital Repository (RLG/OCLC 2002)
- IEEE Spectrum: Death of Digital Media, April 2008
- Shows 3.5" floppy, 12" optical, floptical, sparq disk cartridge, click! drive and most are obsolete.
Born digital information - who can keep pace? 10x Growth in 5 Years (180 exabytes = 180,000 pedabytes, 180,000,000 terabytes) grow to 1,800 exabytes by 2011.
Digital Preservation - Definitions
- "Digital preservation combines policies, strategies, and actions that ensure access to information in digital formats over time..." ALA, ALCTS/PARS
- "Digital preservation combines policies, strategies and actions to ensure access to reformatted and born digital content regardless of the challenges of media failure and technological change. The goal of digital preservation is the accurate rendering of authenticated content over time."
- Digital preservation is not the same as backup.
- Data curation: the value-added activities and features that stewards of digital content engage in to make digital content meaningful or useful.
- Digital curation: the combination of data curation and digital preservation.
- Digital Stewardship; contributions to the longevity and usefulness of digital content by its caretakers that may occur within, but often outside of, a formal….
- The definition of "Digital Preservation" has not been well defined.
Digital preservation is thus being "provided" by almost any technology or approach: Back-up, Repositories network drives, copies, digitization, migration of media Dark archives
ISO standard – Open Archival Information System (OAIS)
Methods of Digital Preservation
- Technology Preservation
- Maintenance of hw and sw platforms which support a digital resource
- Refreshing
- Digital storage media has a finite life (May need to be carried out regardless of the other preservation strategies that are adopted.)
- Data Archaeology - just in time rescue
- Output to analog media
Trends are pointing to migration and possibly emulation
Ways to learn more:
- ALA Tech Report
- Blue Ribbon Task Force
- Digital Preservation Overview course
- Digital Preservation Management workshop (5 day)
- Host a symposium for your region or institution
- Conferences - mostly international
