Access to Electronic Records Bibliography Preservation

Brown, Adrian. “Preserving Digital Objects.” In Practical Digital Preservation: A How-To-Guide for Organizations of Any Size, 193-242. Chicago: Neal-Schuman, 2013.

Abstract: This chapter address the strategies and techniques required to ensure that digital information remains accessible and usable over the long term. Practical, cost-effective approaches suitable for smaller organizations are discussed.

Annotation: The concept of authenticity must be the informing principle behind any approach to preservation. The chapter identifies three essential characteristics of an authentic digital object: (1) reliability—the object must be a full and accurate representation of the cultural or business activity to which it attests; (2) integrity—the object must be protected against unauthorized or accidental alteration (via the use of bitstream preservation methods, for example); and (3) usability—long-term access to the object must be provided in the face of changing technical environments. Brown outlines the challenges involved in preserving each of these three characteristics and presents strategies for mitigating risks.

Brown, Adrian. “Providing Access to Users.” In Practical Digital Preservation: A How-To-Guide for Organizations of Any Size, 243-272. Chicago: Neal-Schuman, 2013.

Abstract: Access provides the very raison d’etre for digital preservation: what we are seeking to preserve is a viable means of access to digital objects, now and into the future. This chapter looks at the practical, technical, and legal challenges of providing access to users today.

Annotation: Access requires that users are able to do three things: (1) find digital objects of interest; (2) understand the options for accessing a given digital object; and (3) access the digital object. This chapter discusses options and considerations for providing access to users. Brown urges institutions to situate resource discovery within existing systems wherever possible. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the needs and expectations of users and the conditions under which accessed objects are used. Decisions about access models should be based firmly on that understanding. Finally, Brown advises readers to define a scheme for assigning persistent and citable identifiers to all digital objects. The chapter ends with a discussion of three case studies at UK institutions currently providing access to digitized content.

Reed, Barbara. “Reinventing Access.” Archives & Manuscripts 42, no. 2 (2014): 123-132. doi: 10.1080/01576895.2014.926823.

Abstract: In 1989, David Bearman threw virtual bombs at the practices of the archival profession. In Australia, we responded to the emerging issues of digital recordkeeping influenced by Bearman’s challenging analysis. However, access has long been an area somewhat neglected within the Australian recordkeeping profession. Addressing this is core to reconceptualising the access function for the future in the digital environment.

Annotation: Reed provides a theoretical examination of how the archival profession can reconceptualize the function of providing public access in the digital environment. She recommends placing an emphasis on the human dimension of archives, focusing on the users of and the people in the records, in order to develop effective access practices.

She argues that archivists need to work collectively to build a coherent professional view on the role of access and identify opportunities for engagement with digital objects that extend beyond the walls of the institutional archives. Building the infrastructure to support this reconceptualization of access is key to its success and Reed suggests that institutions take advantage of the linking and relationship-building opportunities afforded by the Web to increase the discoverability of their records.  

Stewart, Claire. “Preservation and Access in an Age of E-Science and Electronic Records: Sharing the Problem and Discovering Common Solutions.” Journal of Library Administration 52, no. 3-4 (2012): 265-278.

Abstract: As academic libraries grapple with the challenge of preserving their own digitized special collections, intensification of interest in preserving other electronic content may present opportunities to collaborate with organizations on campus. This article offers a brief introduction to some of the core issues in digital preservation, and suggests an orientation to the problems that can be helpful in thinking about how to join forces with others on campus.

Annotation: This article provides an overview of digital preservation and electronic records. Stewart provides suggestions for how academic libraries can effectively partner with key campus groups and “extend traditional library expertise to identify common problems and work together to solve them while simultaneously redefining what preservation means for its own collections and programs.” Stewart states that “libraries’ understanding of the value of both metadata and preservation will be among their most valuable contributions to the new grand challenge facing knowledge creators.” The author identifies opportunities for and barriers to collaboration.

Von Suchodoletz, Dirk, Klaus Rechert, and Isgandar Valizada. “Towards Emulation-as-a-Service: Cloud Services for Versatile Digital Object Access.” The International Journal of Digital Curation 8, no. 1 (2013): 131-142. doi: 10.2218/ijdc.v8i1.250.

Abstract: The changing world of IT services opens the chance to more tightly integrate digital long-term preservation into systems, both for commercial and end users. The emergence of cloud offerings re-centralizes services, and end users interact with them remotely through standardized (web-)client applications on their various devices. This offers the chance to use partially the same concepts and methods to access obsolete computer environments and allows for more sustainable business processes. In order to provide a large variety of user-friendly remote emulation services, especially in combination with authentic performance and user experience, a distributed system model and architecture is required, suitable to run as a cloud service, allowing for the specialization both of memory institutions and third party service providers.

The shift of the usually non-trivial task of the emulation of obsolete software environments from the end user to specialized providers can help to simplify digital preservation and access strategies. Besides offering their users better access to their holdings, libraries and archives may gain new business opportunities to offer services to a third party, such as businesses requiring authentic reproduction of digital objects and processes for legal reasons. This paper discusses cloud concepts as the next logical step for accessing original digital material. Emulation-as-a-Service (EaaS) fills the gap between the successful demonstration of emulation strategies as a long term access strategy and it’s perceived availability and usability. EaaS can build upon the ground of research and prototypical implementations of previous projects, and reuse well established remote access technology.

In this article we develop requirements and a system model, suitable for a distributed environment. We will discuss the building blocks of the core services as well as requirements regarding access management. Finally, we will try to present a business model and estimate costs to implement and run such a service. The implementations of EaaS will influence future preservation planning in memory institutions, as it shifts the focus on object access workflows.

Annotation: The authors discuss the opportunities offered by a cloud-based emulation service designed to enhance access to digital objects. Emulation is currently challenging as a preservation strategy because of it often requires access to obsolete software and specialized expertise. The development of cloud-based emulation services, available via remote access, makes emulation more accessible to a broader range of institutions and expands the possibilities for digital preservation. The authors discuss what such an emulation service would require and present a possible business model for such a service.

York, Jeremy. “A Preservation Infrastructure Built to Last: Preservation, Community, and HathiTrust.” In Proceedings of The Memory of the World in the Digital Age: Digitization and Preservation, edited by Luciana Duranti and Elizabeth Shaffer, 92-107. UNESCO, 2013. http://www.hathitrust.org/documents/york-MemoftheWorld-201209.pdf.

Abstract: This paper describes the strategies HathiTrust is taking to build a collaborative infrastructure capable of ensuring long-term access to digital collections at scale. HathiTrust’s approach recognizes the deep interplay of social and technical factors that support our collections, and will determine their persistence and availability over time.

Annotation: HathiTrust is a partnership of academic and research institutions that are pooling resources to collaboratively preserve and provide access to the cultural record. In order to build a preservation infrastructure to operate on a large scale, HathiTrust approaches preservation as a social and collaborative activity. The overall aim of their approach is to meet the needs of a targeted community of academic and research institutions that steward and manage the digital archive and their immediate users. The article describes the strategies HathiTrust is implementing to address issues of authenticity, reliability, scalability, sustainability, and discovery and access. By following HathiTrust’s example of focus on community needs and social factors, repositories can gain a broad base of support for their activities.

 


 

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