Cross-Sectoral Development of Digital Preservation Strategies: ERPANET and the Expansion of Knowledge Preservation of Electronic Records: New Knowledge and Decision-making Symposium 2003 Seamus Ross, Monica Greenan, Peter McKinney HATII, University of Glasgow

Introduction ERPANET works to enhance the preservation of cultural and scientific digital objects through raising awareness, providing access to experience, sharing policies and strategies, improving practices, and investigating sectoral preservation behaviours.

The Project Nodes The Humanities Advanced Technology and Information Institute (HATII) Schweizerisches Bundesarchiv Nationaal Archief van Nederland Institute for Archival and Library Science (Università degli Studi di Urbino)

ERPANET’s goals are to: raise awareness of sources of information about the preservation of digital objects stimulate research and encourage the development of standards in digital preservation build an online community promote awareness among software producers of the preservation needs of the user community Objectives

erpastudies erpatools erpaadvisory erpaworkshops erpatraining erpacharter erpa products erpaassessments erpaEprints erpaChitChat

erpa studies Aims of the Studies Build a picture of methods and matched against context to produce best practices; Accumulate and make accessible information about practices; Identify issues for further research; Enable cross-sectoral practice comparisons; Enable the development of assessment tools; Create material for training seminars and workshops; and, Develop contacts.

Case studies in public and private sectors Geographical spread and organisation size Diversity of organisational type, activity, regulatory framework and culture Outcomes: –Vertical View: reviews of how different sectors approach digital preservation –Horizontal View: looking across a range of topics what are best practices across domains. erpa studies

Research by questionnaire and interview Examined other projects in designing our survey instrument 5 to 10 focused case studies grouped into sector case study reports 3 people in each company –Business Manager –IT Manager –Archivist/Records Manager erpa studies

erpaStudies (2) Focus of Investigations Preception and awareness of risk Understanding how digital preservation affects the organisation Identifying what actions have been taken to prevent loss Develop an understanding of the way actions are monitored Understand how organisations plan future preservation requirements erpa studies Effort designed to bring organisational perceptions into focus Effort designed to bring organisational perceptions into focus

erpaStudies (2) Main Areas of Investigation Assessment of the Sectoral Exposure Sectoral Awareness and Investment Policy Building Strategies Risk Perception & Management Mechanisms for Compliance & Audit Cost-Benefit Rationalisation Technologies erpa studies

Questionnaire split into: –perception and awareness of digital preservation; –understanding how digital preservation affects the organisation; –actions taken; –monitoring of actions; and –future requirements. erpa studies

ROUND 1 Publishing Telecommunications Pharmaceuticals Broadcasting erpa studies

Planning stage progressed slowly More complex than we imagined Labour intensive Difficulties obtaining successful targets –at the mercy of companies who pull out especially where they perceived risk Lower throughput than we imagined The Problem erpa studies

PUBLISHING BROADCASTING PHARMACEUTICAL TELECOMS BBC, RAI, ERT, SF DRSSwisscom, Orange AstraZeneca, Aventis, Bayer, Böhringer, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Organon NV Gruppo Mondadori, Hachette, HMSO, Kluwer, OUP, Random House, UNESCO, EU erpa studies

Types of Information and Objects Digitised Business Film Audio Legal Born-digital Research Text databases erpa studies Types of Objects vary across sectors

Deepest awareness in the broadcasting* and pharmaceutical sectors –Broadcasting awareness reflects reuse recognition –Pharmaceutical awareness economic and compliance factors Publishers are still attempting to establish who is responsible Values attributed to digital materials varied: –Reuse, evidential value, risk reduction, and finally cultural and historical value Perception and Awareness erpa studies

Broadcasting –Exchange of information –Cooperating on shared projects –Interprofessional training of personnel Telecommunications & Pharamceuticals –Limited communication and cooperation Publishing –Looking outside sector to custodians & distributors Cooperation erpa studies

Where there were policies they were not implemented across organisations Do not plan to adhere to standards and guidelines developed by other communities –Except broadcasting Pharmaceutical organisations articulate preservation strategies as part of system and software specifications. Policy, Strategy and Standards erpa studies

Selection of digital information for preservation –Solid theoretical awareness of issues and the need to determine retention, but little application of appraisal Preservation & Storage –Pharmaceutical sector indicated that digital object size and proliferation of formats a problem –Most sectors showed little impetus to develop longevity solutions –Pragmatic approach is the most popular (e.g. migration on demand) Digital Preservation Costs –Telecommunications happy with their spend erpa studies A few more points….

A few conclusions RATIONALE Legal Cultural Historical Financial PRACTICES Incomplete Individual Ad hoc erpa studies

Conclusions Diversity of strategies and practices Activity is fragmentary Variation in awareness of risk Responsibility rarely taken at corporate level Need for better sharing of knowledge Except broadcasting most organisations hesitant Organisations are waiting for external solutions

erpa studies Conclusions Does hesitancy arise from lack of awareness? Strong sectoral cooperation leads to increased confidence and action (e.g. broadcasting) Lack of a single point of contact—no one knows who knows or is responsible

erpa studies Objectives Achieved Accumulated materials to illustrate methodologies and practices Created a basis for establishing practical guidelines Raised awareness among several hundred institutions and individuals Stimulate sharing of information and experiences

Next Steps Addressing our problem –More focused case studies Addressing their problem –Facilitating Co-operation & Collaboration –Tools Off-the-shelf policy statements Business cases and strategies Digestible guidance on technologies and their preservation implications Construction of improved models (reference, cost…) Guidance on repository design, maintenance, audit –Software vendor engagement erpa studies