1 Digital Archives - Past, Present & Future Issues Anne Van Camp Manager, Member Initiatives The Research Libraries Group Digital Archives Directions (DADs) Workshop June 22-26, 1998

2 What is RLG? 159 member institutions Universities, state and national archives, museums and galleries, national libraries, public and private research repositories, historical societies International composition North America, UK and Ireland, Europe and Australia

3 What is RLG? Mission To collaboratively solve problems of access and preservation to research resources Member programs and initiatives –Resource sharing –Preservation –Primary sources –Art, law and area studies Electronic information network Bibliographic database - over 100 million items: MARC records, citation files, archival finding aids, digital objects.

4 Why is RLG a DADs Sponsor? We’re a stakeholder in the community trying to tackle preservation and access issues for digital information 25 years of experience working with our members to set standards and best practices in access and preservation

5 Problem Statement Digital archiving and its attendant issues are common across institutions and are international in scope Need for collaboration on descriptive standards; technology; legal and regulatory issues; storage criteria, etc. Need for coordination of effort to avoid duplication Need to share the research agenda

6 Preservation and Access - Past 1970s - early 1990s Brittle paper Disintegrating collections Localized resources –card catalogs –paper-based collection guides Descriptive cataloging

7 Chaos to Control Brittle books and paper –Solutions included microfilming, conservation, stabilization and led to the establishment of standards and best practices for reformatting –Collaborative work produced manuals and other tools to promulgate best practices –Guidelines then adopted by funding agencies and the community at large Access & Description –Birth of electronic catalogs to share information about research resources and subsequently about preservation and reformatting activities

8 Preservation & Access - Present Mid- to late 1990s Overwhelmingly digital in nature Digital preservation Magnetic media Metadata Web publications Electronic records

9 Chaos to Control Establishment of the RLG/CPA Task Force on Digital Archiving: 1994 Frame the key problems that need to be resolved for technology refreshing to be considered an acceptable approach to ensuring continuing access. Consider alternatives to technology refreshing. Make other generic recommendations as appropriate.

10 Report Highlights Analysis of the digital landscape Creator responsibility Fail-safe mechanism to protect culturally valuable information Roles and responsibilities Strategies for migration Costs and financial matters.

11 Interesting Outcomes (1 of 2) the recommendation that creators take preservation responsibility specified preserving not just the DATA, but USE of the data the big challenges are mostly organizational issues information *about* the information is important

12 Interesting Outcomes (2 of 2) focus on things published in digital form the concept of certifying archives the concept of fail-safe, aggressive rescue there wasn't much feedback from the archival community transition from refreshment to migration

13 International Reaction JISC/BRITISH LIBRARY Workshop as part of the Electronic Libraries Programme (eLib) Organized by UKOLN Nov Australian Working Party and National Preservation Office

14 RLG’s Priorities requirements and standards for describing and managing digital information standards, criteria, and mechanisms for digital archives coordination with international digital preservation initiatives

15 RLG Current Agenda Preservation Working Group on Digital Archiving –Survey of digital archiving needs –Examine and evaluate models for facilities –Develop guidelines for appraisal, selection, and priority setting for preserving information in digital form Virtual collections projects Training workshops for managing digital projects RLG DigiNews Metadata –Metadata Summit –Working Group on Preservation Issues of Metadata –Working Group on Archival Metadata Issues Working Group on Preserving Magnetic Media

16 Strategic Alliances Alliances, both national and international –CLIR –DLFhttp:// –NPOhttp:// –TASihttp:// –AHDShttp://ahds.ac.uk –eLibhttp:// –CEI –CURLhttp:// –CNIhttp:// –National Library of Australia

17 National and International Collaboration Learn from Colleagues Test and extend new tools and models Identify common problems and solutions Agree on best practices Benefit from shared products Avoid duplication

18 Digital Archives - Future Issues Economic models –Share experience on projects and vendor relations Legal issues –Get smarter about protection of privacy while ensuring openness –Establish basis for aggressive rescue Long-term storage issues –Establish criteria for certification of digital archive facilities International acceptance of metadata and preservation standards Achieve international inter-institutional interoperability

19 Useful URLs RLG (US access) (Int’l access) PRESERV Program: RLG DigiNews: RLG/CPA Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information