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ERIC Number: ED395602
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1996-May-1
Pages: 68
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: ISBN-1-887334-50-5
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Preserving Digital Information. Report of the Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information.
Waters, Donald; Garrett, John
The 21-member Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information was formed in December 1994 and spent a year studying what is needed to make digital libraries stable, accessible, and valid. Their final report is divided into the following sections: (1) "Introduction," which examines the fragility of cultural memory in a digital age and the limits of digital technology; (2) "The Challenge of Archiving Digital Information," a discussion of the obsolescence of certain digital media, migration of digital information to other hardware/software configurations or generations, legal and institutional issues, and the need for deep infrastructure; (3) "Information Objects in the Digital Landscape," which examines the issue of integrity of digital information, and stakeholder interests in that question; (4) "Archival Roles and Responsibilities," about the operating environment, migration strategies, and managing costs and finances; and (5) "Summary and Recommendations." One of the major findings of the study was that a process of certification was needed to create a climate of trust in this field of endeavor. The future needs a sufficient number of people who can be trusted to go to great lengths to store, migrate, and provide access to digital collections. A series of pilot projects and support structures are recommended. Appendices include copies of the charge of the task force and of a detailed analysis of a cost model. (Contains 75 references.) (BEW)
The Commission on Preservation and Access, 1400 16th St., N.W., Suite 740, Washington, DC 20036-2217 ($15); World Wide Web: http://www.rlg.org
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Commission on Preservation and Access, Washington, DC.; Research Libraries Group, Inc., Mountain View, CA.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A