Digital Imaging Tutorial - Digital Preservation

8. Digital Preservation

Key Concepts

definition
challenges
technical strategies
organizational
strategies

DEFINITION
The goal of digital preservation is to maintain the ability to display, retrieve, and use digital collections in the face of rapidly changing technological and organizational infrastructures and elements. Issues to be addressed in digital preservation include:

Retaining the physical reliability of the image files, accompanying metadata, scripts, and programs (e.g., make sure that the storage medium is reliable with back-ups, maintain the necessary hardware and software infrastructure to store and provide access to the collection)

Ensuring continued usability of the digital image collection (e.g., maintain an up-to-date user interface, enable users to retrieve and manipulate information to meet their information needs)

Maintaining collection security (e.g., implement strategies to control unauthorized alteration to the collection, develop and maintain a rights management program for fee-based services)

Although this section is one of the last of the tutorial, issues associated with longevity need to be discussed at the onset of any imaging initiative. Many of the issues that become impediments to long-term preservation are rooted in early decisions centering on selection and conversion. Digital preservation decisions and strategies should be developed as an integral part of a digital imaging initiative as many decisions will be closely coupled with an institution's long-term retention plans.