Preserving digital information
Cassie Findlay
State Records NSW

..or
“Do nothing, lose everything”

What’s the connection with Govt 2.0?
• If you want wider and more effective use
of public sector information and content
and the generation of new uses from it,
you can’t just concern yourself with brand
new information
• We all still use data and information that is
really, really old

Rosetta
stone
British Museum http://www.britishmuseum.org

The listing of
convicts on
board the
“Neptune”,
arrived in
Sydney 28
June 1790 (part
of the First
Fleet).

PMapTH03, Parish of Tamworth, 1893
http://parishmaps.lands.nsw.gov.au/pmap.html
‘View from Church of England Grammar School ‘State Records NSW:
Department of Public Works, Sydney Harbour Bridge Branch; NRS
12685, Sydney Harbour Bridge Photographic Albums, 1870-1933

How are we able
to continue to
use this
information?
• Because we
labelled it and put
is on a shelf!
Ukraine’s Central State Historical Archives in L’viv www.usukraine.org/lvivarchives.shtml

Is this going to work for
digital Government
information?

Obsolescence
MacDraw, FHKE, 2007,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fhke/370326408/
Gallery of Obsolete Formats 1, jen-the-librarian, 2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennieb/921595498/

Proprietary control
• Potentially meaning
Government
information is
restricted / unable to
be accessed / costly
to maintain

..which is why we need to act now!
• By:
- keeping basic metadata
- adopting sensible strategies to
protect against technology change,
limit proprietary interests and
manage other threats

Government organisations have a role
to play
• adopt long term preservation
formats eg ODF, PDF-A
• adopt metadata standards
• migrate with care
• avoid removable media

State Records’ role
• Set standards and provide guidance
on making, keeping and preserving
digital records
• Preserving digital State archives
..forever
• And making them available!

Future Proof
• http://futureproof.records.nsw.gov.au/