Preserving Digital Materials

by Harvey, Ross

• ISBN13: 9783598116865
• ISBN10: 3598116861
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-01-31
• Publisher: K G Saur Verlag Gmbh & Co

Summary

This book provides a single-volume introduction to the principles, strategies and practices currently applied by librarians and record keepers to the preservation of digital information. Also included are case studies of practice from the library, record keeping, audiovisual archiving, data archiving and geospatial communities.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
What is Preservation in the Digital Age? Changing Preservation Paradigms	1	(16)
Introduction	1	(1)
Changing paradigms	2	(1)
The need for a new preservation paradigm	3	(4)
Changing definitions	7	(2)
Preservation definitions in the digital world	9	(7)
What exactly are we trying to preserve?	14	(1)
How long are we preserving them for?	15	(1)
What strategies and actions do we need to apply when we preserve them?	16	(1)
Conclusion	16	(1)
Why do we Preserve? Who Should do it?	17	(18)
Introduction	17	(1)
Why preserve digital materials?	18	(1)
Professional imperatives	19	(2)
Other stakeholders	21	(3)
The extent of the preservation problem	24	(2)
How much data have we lost?	26	(5)
Current state of awareness of the digital preservation problem	31	(2)
Conclusion	33	(2)
Why There's a Problem: Digital Artifacts and Digital Objects	35	(18)
Introduction	35	(2)
Modes of digital death	37	(2)
Digital artifacts	39	(7)
Magnetic media	41	(2)
Optical disks	43	(1)
A future for digital artifacts?	44	(2)
Digital objects -- more than digital artifacts	46	(5)
Loss of functionality of access devices	46	(2)
Loss of manipulation and presentation capabilities	48	(1)
Weak links in the documentation chain and loss of contextual information	49	(2)
Conclusion	51	(2)
Selection for Preservation -- The Critical Decision	53	(22)
Introduction	53	(1)
Selection for preservation, cultural heritage, and professional practice	54	(3)
Selection criteria traditionally used by libraries	57	(2)
Appraisal criteria traditionally used by archives	59	(2)
Why traditional selection criteria do not apply to digital materials	61	(1)
IPR, context, stakeholders, and the continuum approach	62	(5)
Intellectual property rights and legal deposit	63	(1)
Legal deposit legislation	63	(1)
Context and community	64	(1)
Stakeholder input	65	(1)
Value of the continuum approach	66	(1)
Developing selection frameworks for preserving digital materials	67	(5)
Towards a new decision-making framework	69	(3)
How much to select?	72	(1)
Conclusion	73	(2)
What Attributes of Digital Materials Do We Preserve?	75	(24)
Introduction	75	(2)
Digital materials, technology and data	77	(3)
The importance of preserving context	80	(1)
The OAIS reference model	81	(2)
The role of metadata	83	(4)
Persistent identifiers	87	(1)
Authenticity	88	(7)
Significant properties	91	(4)
Research into authenticity	95	(2)
Functional Requirements for Evidence in Recordkeeping Project (Pittsburgh)	95	(1)
InterPARES 1 and 2	96	(1)
Trusted digital repositories	97	(1)
Conclusion	98	(1)
Overview of Digital Preservation Strategies	99	(18)
Introduction	99	(3)
Historical overview	102	(1)
Who is doing what?	103	(2)
The Australian experience	105	(2)
Criteria for effective strategies and practices	107	(3)
Typologies of principles, strategies and practices	110	(5)
A typology of digital preservation?	115	(1)
Conclusion	116	(1)
`Preserve Technology' Approaches: Tried and Tested Methods	117	(18)
Introduction	117	(1)
`Non-solutions'	118	(8)
Do nothing	120	(1)
Storage and handling practices	120	(2)
Durable/persistent digital media	122	(1)
Analogue backups	123	(2)
Policy development	125	(1)
Standards	125	(1)
Digital archaeology	126	(1)
`Preserve technology' approaches	126	(8)
Technology preservation	127	(1)
Technology watch	128	(1)
Emulation	129	(4)
The Universal Virtual Computer	133	(1)
Conclusion	134	(1)
`Preserve Objects' Approaches: New Frontiers?	135	(22)
Introduction	135	(1)
`Preserve Objects' approaches	136	(1)
Bit-stream copying, refreshing, and replication	137	(2)
Bit-stream copying	137	(1)
Refreshing	137	(1)
Replication	138	(1)
Standard data formats	139	(8)
File format registries	141	(2)
Standardizing file formats	143	(1)
Restricting the range of file formats	144	(1)
Developing archival file formats	145	(1)
XML	146	(1)
Migration	147	(6)
Viewers and migration on request	153	(1)
Encapsulation	153	(1)
Digital mass storage systems	154	(2)
Conclusion: combining principles, strategies and practices	156	(1)
Digital Preservation Initiatives and Collaborations	157	(24)
Introduction	157	(1)
Collaboration	157	(2)
Typologies of digital preservation initiatives	159	(2)
International initiatives and collaborations	161	(8)
International services	161	(1)
The Internet Archive	161	(2)
The International Internet Preservation Consortium	163	(1)
JSTOR	163	(1)
DSpace	164	(1)
LOCKSS	165	(1)
OceanStore	166	(1)
International alliances	166	(1)
UNESCO	166	(1)
RLG	167	(1)
PADI	168	(1)
OCLC	168	(1)
CAMiLEON	168	(1)
Regional initiatives and collaborations	169	(2)
Regional services	169	(1)
NEDLIB	169	(1)
Regional alliances	169	(1)
ERPANET	169	(1)
Digital Recordkeeping Initiative	170	(1)
National initiatives and collaborations	171	(6)
National services	171	(1)
KB's e-Depot	171	(1)
National Archives	172	(1)
Digital Curation Centre	172	(1)
AHDS	173	(1)
UK Web Archiving Consortium	174	(1)
National alliances	174	(1)
Digital Preservation Coalition	174	(1)
NDIIPP	175	(1)
Digital Preservation Testbed	176	(1)
Sectoral initiatives and collaborations	177	(2)
Sectoral services	177	(1)
PARADISEC	177	(1)
CEDARS	178	(1)
Sectoral alliances	178	(1)
JISC	178	(1)
Conclusion	179	(2)
Challenges for the Future of Digital Preservation	181	(18)
Introduction	181	(1)
What have we learned so far?	182	(3)
Four major challenges	185	(8)
Challenge 1: managing digital preservation	185	(2)
Challenge 2: funding digital preservation	187	(2)
Challenge 3: peopling digital preservation	189	(2)
Challenge 4: making digital preservation fit	191	(2)
Research and digital preservation	193	(3)
Conclusion -- the future of digital preservation	196	(3)
Appendix Case Studies	199	(22)
Case Study 1: Digital Storage at the National Film and Sound Archive, Australia	199	(4)
The standard	200	(1)
Functions and requirements	201	(1)
The media	202	(1)
Strategies	203	(1)
Case Study 2: PANDORA (Preserving and Accessing Networked Documentary Resources of Australia)	203	(5)
Case Study 3: Changing Preservation Activities at the National Archives of Australia	208	(4)
Case Study 4: VERS (Victorian Electronic Records Strategy)	212	(3)
Case Study 5: Migration at the Department of Family and Community Services, Australia	215	(4)
Case Study 6: PADI (Preserving Access to Digital Information)	219	(2)
Bibliography	221	(17)
Index	238