(Jan 2011) Digital Curation (Guest Lecture)

DIGITAL CURATION Dr. Carolyn Hank carolyn.hank@mcgill.ca School of Information Studies McGill University GLIS 639: Intro to Museology 28 January 2011

CURATE IS NOT ALONE“ … the word archive has lost much of its traditionalmeaning and associations … archivists have literallylost control over the definition of archive.” (Hedstrom,1991, p. 336)“…despite the recent appropriation of „archive‟ as averb to mean „store‟ or „to preserve,‟ the traditionalmeaning of archives as a noun is narrower.” (CLIR,2001, p. 85)“Traditionally, preservation and archiving have had twodistinct definitions with preservation being a necessarycomponent of, but not equivalent to, the totality ofarchiving.” (Tibbo, 2003, p. 11)

KEEPING UP WITH DATA ROThttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-2vv7Y6Rww

DISCUSSION

DEFINITIONSDIGITAL PRESERVATION (ALA) - Short/Medium SHORT: “Digital preservation combines policies, strategies and actions that ensure access to digital content over time.” MEDIUM: “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.” SOURCE: http://www.ala.org/ala/alcts/newslinks/digipres/index.cfm

DEFINITIONS DIGITAL PRESERVATION (ALA) – Long“Digital preservation combines policies, strategies and actions toensure the accurate rendering of authenticated content overtime, regardless of the challenges of media failure andtechnological change. Digital preservation applies to both borndigital and reformatted content.Digital preservation policies document an organization’scommitment to preserve digital content for future use; specifyfile formats to be preserved and the level of preservation to beprovided; and ensure compliance with standards and bestpractices for responsible stewardship of digital information.Digital preservation strategies and actions address contentcreation, integrity and maintenance.”

DEFINITIONS DIGITAL PRESERVATION (ALA) – LongCONTENT CREATION INCLUDES:– Clear and complete technical specifications– Production of reliable master files– Sufficient descriptive, administrative and structural metadata to ensure future access– Detailed quality control of processes

DEFINITIONS DIGITAL PRESERVATION (ALA) – LongCONTENT INTEGRITY INCLUDES:– Documentation of all policies, strategies and procedures– Use of persistent identifiers– Recorded provenance and change history for all objects– Verification mechanisms– Attention to security requirements– Routine audits

DEFINITIONS DIGITAL PRESERVATION (ALA) – LongCONTENT MAINTENANCE INCLUDES:– A robust computing and networking infrastructure– Storage and synchronization of files at multiple sites– Continuous monitoring and management of files– Programs for refreshing, migration and emulation– Creation and testing of disaster prevention and recovery plans– Periodic review and updating of policies and procedures

DEFINITIONS DIGITAL CURATION (DCC)Digital curation, broadly interpreted, is about maintaining andadding value to a trusted body of digital information for currentand future use.The active management and preservation of digital resourcesover the life-cycle of scholarly and scientific interest, and overtime for current and future generations of users. “What Is Digital Curation?”http://www.dcc.ac.uk/about/what/

Source: http://www.dcc.ac.uk/lifecycle-model/

WHY THIS MATTERS A SAMPLE OF SELECT ISSUES–Creating durable digital objects–Hardware and software obsolescence–File formats–Rights management and other legal and ethical issues–Metadata (minimum/optimal/practical)–Appraisal and selection–Quality control and “trustworthiness”–Commitment to the long-term–Resource allocation, costing, and staffing–Funding for development and sustainability

Council on Library and Information Resources. (2001). The evidence in hand: Report of the Task Force on the Artifact in Library Collections. (CLIR Publication No. 103). Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub103/contents.htmlHedstrom, M. (1991). Understanding electronic incunabula: A framework for research on electronic records. American Archivist, 54(3), 334-354.Tibbo, H.R. (2003). On the nature and importance of archiving in the digital age. In M. Zelkowitz (Ed.), Advances in Computers: Information Repositories, 57 (pp. 1-67). San Diego, CA: Elsevier. REFERENCES

QUESTIONS? Dr. Carolyn Hank carolyn.hank@mcgill.ca School of Information Studies McGill University

(Jan 2011) Digital Curation (Guest Lecture)

by Carolyn Hank

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