Digital Preservation in Academic Libraries
Digital Preservation Services in Academic Libraries
Annotations by Meredith Bishop
Definition of Project
This project examines the ways in which academic libraries can remain relevant to their users through the practices of digital preservation and the different techniques they can employ to better assist their communities. Specifically, the articles cover ways for institutions to manage risks in digital preservation and how they can develop or refine digital preservation programs. Another article focuses on providing easier access to users and solutions for preservation problems while another exclusively looks at providing data quality services to users. For academic libraries considering digitizing their large collections, a paper serves as a guide for what they should consider before taking on such a task. In the case of repositories, an article provides a framework and tools for developing or refining one. Other articles consider challenges when shaping digital preservation policies and models and also how to proceed with projects based on the needs of their users. One article considers ways to reach out to data creators and connect with them which would help address some preservation concerns before they even reach the library. For institutions looking to develop a consortial group, an article provides a plan on how to proceed with setting up a digital preservation tool and pooling experience to work out problems. The common thread between all of these articles is how digital preservation can be considered and used to better assist and serve the users in these academic libraries.
Annotations
Barateiro, J., Antunes, G., Freitas, F., & Borbinha, J. (2010). Designing digital preservation solutions: A risk management-based approach. International Journal of Digital Curation, 5(1), 4-17. doi:10.2218/ijdc.v5i1.140
This article’s primary purpose is to analyze the risks involved in the preservation of digital objects and how to manage those risks. The first section defines digital preservation requirements, such as authenticity assurance, in order for the reader to understand how the data should be preserved up to the point of risks. Next, the threats and vulnerabilities are listed and defined and how they impact the preservation of digital objects within institutions. The paper goes on to detail techniques and strategies in handling digital materials, like auditing an institution’s system. Once the reader understands the material laid out in these two sections, the following section combines them and addresses each threat and vulnerability with a technique or strategy for the institution to use in managing the risks to their data. This article is heavily focused on the risks of digital preservation that many institutions will face and offers ways in which they might manage such risks.
Chowdhury, G. (2010). From digital libraries to digital preservation research: The importance of users and context. Journal of Documentation, 66(2), 207-223. doi:10.1108/00220411011023625
The purpose of this article was to highlight the issues of users and research information in digital libraries and digital preservation programs. This paper relies on selected literature and reports of research projects to make its point. Digital libraries and digital preservation developed side-by-side and, from reports that the article found, they need to continue together in order to grow. The paper addresses policy issues that might be involved in building a sustainable digital preservation program for an institution, such as lack of funding or a resistance to developing better preservation practices to keep up with the changing times. From a report the article looked at, an institution can either take the life-cycle approach or the OAIS approach in developing their digital preservation program. The article moves on to context in digital preservation where technological context refers to the data studied and the semantic context refers to how users interact with the data and use the information. Papers consulted advise that institutions should be looking into, not only preserving the information of the digital object, but also the object’s metadata in order to provide this context. Listed in this paper are six different relationships which provide context for the information in the world of digital preservation which institutions should keep in mind. From other resources consulted, the paper states that a major challenge in digital preservation programs is making sure that the content is described so as to make it searchable for future users and material is provided for the reader to consult. In conclusion, the article believes OAIS representation information (RI) and RI networks may offer solutions to pulling digital preservation programs together. This article is valuable to academic libraries by considering how your institution can develop or refine a digital preservation program catered to their users’ needs.
Clement, T., Hagenmaier, W., & Knies, J. L. (2013). Toward a notion of the archive of the future: Impressions of practice by librarians, archivists, and digital humanities scholars. The Library Quarterly, 83(2), 112-130. doi:10.1086/669550
This article is a collection of suggestions from those who are already on the front lines of the changes happening in academic libraries and similar institutions. Of the professionals interviewed, one scholar said that, alongside existing data, institutions should collaborate with scholars in order to provide users with better collections of data in digital publications. Another professional would like to see more library personnel bleed into IT where such skills would better benefit digital preservation. A digital archivist would like to see more interaction and collaboration between digital humanities, libraries, and archives and suggests that digital project managers can do what IT personnel do and split projects into manageable phases. A separate professional suggested that institutions should start preserving data through “data stores” where data could be housed at URLs instead of on institutions’ servers (122). After these interviews the paper then finishes with touching on some software programs which might help an institution provide or implement the suggestions that the interviewees gave and some projects that they are currently (at the date of the article) working on. This article can help academic libraries when considering how to provide easier access to their users and possible solutions for when problems in preservation and storage arise.
Conway, P. (2010). Preservation in the age of google: Digitization, digital preservation, and dilemmas. The Library Quarterly, 80(1), 61-79. doi:10.1086/648463
This article is focused on where academic libraries can fill a need which Google leaves behind in the digital age. The main point the author makes is that there are two areas of concern in the conversation surrounding digital preservation: analog materials yet to be converted to digital form and born-digital objects. The author goes on to say that, in the first instance, Google has a void and in the second instance, Google has the advantage. This paper acknowledges that digitizing objects as a form of preservation is still a controversial idea in the world of preservation, but libraries are going to need to start digitizing their collections in order to remain relevant to future users. The article goes on to suggest that institutions might be able to have more rights when stepping in to preserve works abandoned by their creators. Some potential dilemmas were considered at the end: whether or not institutions have the space for their collections, whether or not to digitize those collections, and whether or not they would have the expertise needed in the future to manage changes in digital preservation. The author suggests collaboration with other institutions in order to properly manage vast collections as there can be an unintended duplication of efforts in preserving copies of texts. For academic libraries who have large collections that they want to make available to a wider audience, this article has some considerations to keep in mind when thinking about whether or not digitizing is the way to go.
Giarlo, M. J. (2013). Academic libraries as data quality hubs. Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication, 1(3). doi:10.7710/2162-3309.1059
This article focuses on how academic libraries should be data quality hubs for their communities and how they might think about providing that service. The paper begins by assessing the need for digital curation and preservation through academic libraries as government repositories of scientific data are losing funding and therefore the data is becoming inaccessible. Once that need has been addressed, the paper goes on for how to measure data quality by using a framework of principles: trust, integrity, authenticity, understandability, and usability. It is stated that academic libraries’ familiarity with the digital curation lifecycle gives them the foundational skills they need to properly assess the quality of the data. The paper urges academic libraries to use their own curation models to determine the best way of assessing and providing data of good quality. Galaxy Zoo is given as an example for how an institution might rely on community crowdsourcing in their data curation model, but points out that this crowdsourcing option would be limited to academic libraries which are able to devote time and resources to such a project. The conclusion is that academic libraries will have to overcome the trouble of additional funding for resources and training of staff in order to be properly positioned as data quality hubs for their communities. This article will be useful to academic libraries looking into data quality services and how to provide them to their community.
Hockx‐Yu, H. (2006). Digital preservation in the context of institutional repositories. Program, 40(3), 232-243. 2 doi:10.1108/0033033061068131
This paper focuses on institutional repositories in the UK, namely the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) which was created to fund and support projects involved in digital preservation services for institutions. The paper begins by explaining what institutional repositories are and how they help researchers share their research and the important service they provide their institutions in digital preservation. From literature on the subject the article states that repositories must offer research data and other forms of institutional data besides e-prints. Furthermore, the article wants institutions to understand how vital it is for the users of their repositories to trust that content will be accessible to them far into the future in order for researchers to feel comfortable submitting their work for preservation. After consulting literature on the topic, the paper lists goals that every digital repository should have, like data housed in the repository should be safe and accessible to users. The article continues on, offering advice on how an institution can structure a repository, such as limiting what file formats can be submitted and have a plan in place for appraising what is submitted. Then tools are suggested for how to do just that. The importance of ensuring the preservation of the metadata of the objects being ingested into the repository is considered later in this article, and how institutions should consider the software and tools which would accomplish that. Looking toward the future, institutions will want more automated processes, like choosing a system that automatically recognizes file formats submitted to the repository and whether or not they should be accepted. This article suggests that institutions use OAIS as a reference model since many repositories already follow it and then goes on to explain what the model is and what it does. The paper concludes by summarizing the benefits of institutional repositories, how repositories help with preservation tasks and provide another safeguard against technology obsolescence. For academic libraries considering broader services for users through repositories, this article provides a framework and offers tools which libraries can use to develop this service in order to provide the best in digital preservation.
Kastellec, M. (2012). Practical limits to the scope of digital preservation. Information Technology and Libraries, 31(2), 63. doi:10.6017/ital.v31i2.2167
This paper is concerned with the factors involved in an institution’s ability to properly preserve digital objects. The first factor addressed is that of technology and how data loss and technological obsolescence are the two biggest threats. Next is the question of access and how institutions must ensure that the data they are preserving can be accessed by them and the members of the institution, while also restricting access to nonmembers. The issue of law is then brought up and how gray areas in copyright law and complicated license agreements may dissuade institutions from preserving certain digital objects. The next factor considered is that of selection and how no institution has the kind of storage they need to properly preserve the data they want which means they will have to learn what data to preserve to better serve their individual communities. Finally, the last factor is finances and how it will impact all of the previous factors listed and the paper considers ways in which institutions must be mindful of their budget for this reason. In conclusion, the article advises institutions to start considering all of these factors more seriously than just technological limitations in digital preservation. This article gives important insights into the constraints and challenges that all institutions, including academic libraries, must keep in mind when shaping policies and models for what they are capable of preserving.
Lyon, L. (2012). The informatics transform: Re-engineering libraries for the data decade. International Journal of Digital Curation, 7(1), 126-138. doi:10.2218/ijdc.v7i1.220
The primary goal of this article is to offer pathways for institutions to use in an effort to support data creators so as to make data preservation easier and more widely available to the public. It begins with reminding the reader of the considerable uptick in data produced due to the massive changes in technology and how researchers gather data. With researchers being able to produce their findings online so much faster and easier than before, this has led to a deluge in data. The author then considers how libraries might change to better adjust to this influx of data, for instance, have libraries reach out to research centers and guide them on digital preservation before they even make their way to a library. The paper then outlines ten support services libraries can offer for data creators, like appraisal of what data they should be keeping and how to be mindful of storage guidelines and policies for depositing data. The author expressed concern over their being a lack of skilled professionals in this field, but one way to help curb this would be for institutions to seek out and support those entering into the LIS field. Since academic libraries are the central hubs for a lot of researchers, this provides an opportunity for them to guide researchers in how to manage and preserve their own data and the article offers five things creators should consider when compiling and publishing their data. The article concludes by listing the ways in which libraries can then act as a bridge between researchers and the community they publish their papers for. From this article, academic libraries can consider ways in which to reach out to the very communities and researchers who create the data they eventually end up preserving.
Schonfeld, R. C., & Housewright, R. (2010). Ithaka s r faculty survey 2009: Key strategic insights for libraries, publishers, and societies. ICPSR Data Holdings. doi:10.3886/icpsr30001.v2
Ithaka S+R Faculty Surveys examine academic institutions in an effort to help understand and develop strategies to better serve their users (faculty). In this recent round of surveys, faculties show a growing dependency on digital materials. Findings suggest that if libraries engage with publishers of academic journals they will be able to streamline the process of preserving these journals for faculty who show an increased need for electronic journals. Due to this support, academic libraries can be confident in requesting more funding from their institutions in preserving these resources for the faculty. The administered surveys discovered a divergence of needs between the humanities – which value the preservation of primary sources – and the sciences – which value the preservation of data sets. In this case, libraries must address their faculty’s needs on a case-by-case basis. The article also pointed out that e-books are viewed in a favorable light by faculty, but research shows that institutions would do better to focus on the preservation of digital journals as faculty does not actually use e-books as much. The value of this article for academic libraries is how it supports the argument for shifting attention and funding to more digital preservation projects while also giving libraries a direction of how to address specific faculty needs (humanities versus sciences).
Trujillo, S., Bergin, M., Jessup, M., Radding, J., & Mcgowan, S. W. (2017). Archivematica outside the box. Digital Library Perspectives, 33(2), 117-127. doi:10.1108/dlp-08-2016-0037
This article is a case study about a group of college libraries working together with a new digital preservation software program to better address the needs of their users. The goal of this project was to assess their ability to collaborate and save on costs and be more productive with their services. The library staff of these separate institutions formed a consortial group name for their project: the Five College Digital Preservation Task Force and chose the digital preservation open-source program Archivematica. Each institution had developed an expertise in a particular area and through collaboration, the task force was able to solve problems more effectively, more efficiently, than if they had attempted to work with the program in isolation. In the end, the institutions decided not to continue using Archivematica, but they learned how to work together and what they might expect when working with digital stewardship challenges. For academic libraries looking at collaborating with neighboring institutions in order to save on costs and in order to pool knowledge and resources, this article was very effective at laying out a plan to implement and what challenges and rewards to expect from such a project.
