Digital Preservation A Collaborative Initiative of the Library of Congress

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Digital PreservationA Collaborative Initiative
of the Library of Congress

• Digital Preservation States Project Workshop
• Washington, DC

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The Workshops

• Three one day workshops.
• Three attendees from each state or territory.
• Archives, Libraries and IT.
• LOC, GPO, NARA, IMLS.
• CTG, COSHRC, AALL, CLIR.
• 80 participants per workshop.

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Context of Meetings

• LOC charged by Congress to drive digital
  preservation.
• Need to learn from stakeholders.
• Future action based on what was learned.
• Have been working to establish partnerships.

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Why include the states?

• Important partners.
• Shared concern over digital information.
• Determine focus and target expenditures.
• Identify at risk information.
• A unique, specific forum to discuss digital
  preservation.

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NDIIPP History

• National Digital Information Infrastructure
  Preservation Program
• Created by Congress in 2000.
• Provides funds.
• Charter
• Develop a national strategy.
• Work with others to improve it.

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What have they learned?

• There are a lot of digital records.
• Digital records are complex.
• It is more than the records.
• There are no silver bullets.
• LOC can be an effective facilitator.
• Collaboration works!

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Funding Partnerships

• Web political content.
• State government publications.
• Southern digital culture.
• Geospatial data.
• Dot.com business records.
• Social science data.
• Digital television.

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LOC Questions

• What content is the priority?
• How can we strengthen partnerships?
• What roles can states play?
• What roles should LOC play?
• Where should LOC not be involved?
• Small Groups (MD, NE, NC, ND).

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Exercise 1

• At-risk information.
• Top 5 at-risk information categories by state.
• Prioritized list by group.
• Results
• Databases, websites, email, records from other
  branches of government.
• Restricted information.
• Unique requirements.
• Dynamic content.

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Exercise 2

• Existing preservation partnerships.
• Government.
• Vendors.
• Enhancing partnerships.
• Get folks talking together.
• Find a champion.
• Barriers to partnerships.
• Political/Educational issues.
• Budget constraints.
• Separation of Powers.

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Exercise 3

• Role of states.
• Involve stakeholders.
• Strategic planning.
• Implementation.
• Role of LOC
• Best practices.
• Grants and funding for research.
• Reconvene groups to continue interaction.

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LOC should not

• Dictate preservation policy to states.
• Create new mandates for preservation.
• Create a single, one-size-fits-all program.
• Select content to be preserved.

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Workshop Results

• Reinforced previous knowledge.
• The goal of preservation is reasonable.
• Capabilities do not currently exist.
• Preservation capabilities require
• Infrastructure
• Technology
• Standards/Policies
• Funding
• Champions

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Assignment

• Complete Capability Assessment.
• Inform planning/design of initiatives.
• Identify strengths and weaknesses.
• Focus investments on capability building efforts.
• Identify risk/mitigation strategies.
• Highlight needed information.

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The Bottom Line

• Life expectancy of media
• Parchment 5000 years
• Paper 1000 years
• Magnetic 1000 weeks
• Preservation is more than the information.
• The clock is ticking.
• There will be no Rosetta Stone.

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Reference

• www.state.nd.us/hist/sal/archives.htm
• http//ndsl.lib.state.nd.us
• www.loc.org
• www.digitalpreservation.gov
• www.imls.gov
• www.nara.gov
• www.gpoaccess.gov/legacy/index.html
• www.coshrc.org
• www.nagara.org
• www.ctg.albany.edu