Digital Preservation and Records Management: the same but different Digital Preservation Basics Digital Preservation Solutions Digital forever (or the next big snafu) Emerging Trends A Single Practical Recommendation

Digital preservation basics

………………………………………… ………………………………………… ………………………………………… Digital preservation typically makes bleak reading Why Preserve?

What’s the problem? Digital data (images, documents etc) have value They create opportunities...but... Access depends on software hardware and people Technology and people change...therefore... Constantly emerging barriers to reuse So, constantly emerging barriers to opportunities My point: data loss is not the only problem, perhaps not even the main problem

We do preservation because we want : 1. Transparency e.g. Data Protection, Freedom of Information … 2. Safety e.g. detection, disaster, recovery, audit … 3. Knowledge e.g. scientific value, access to heritage … 4. Wealth e.g. efficient business, management of IP … 5. Health e.g. research, safe innovation … 6. Environmental improvement e.g. evidence-based policy development … 1. Legal compliance e.g. Sarbanes-Oxley, Data Protection … 2. Regulatory compliance e.g. power generation, aviation …. 3. Legal protection e.g. patents, mis-selling, detection … 4. Unanticipated exploitation e.g. petro-chemical, pharmaceuticals …. 5. Business continuity e.g. product recall, disaster recovery … 6. Business value e.g. the right information to the right people at the right time in a format they can use

Why Digital Preservation? Digital preservation is not just about ‘data’: Digital preservation is not just about ‘access’: Digital preservation is not just about ‘risk’: It’s about people and opportunity Safer Smarter Healthier Wealthier Greener Fairer More creative

Digital preservation is not just about ‘data’: Digital preservation is not just about ‘access’: Digital preservation is not just about ‘compliance’: it’s about people and opportunity Don’t start with the bits start with the people

4 ways to do digital preservation

1. Migration Changing the format of a file to ensure the information content can be read 2. Emulation Intervening in the operating system to ensure that old software can function and information content can be read 3. Hardware preservation Maintaining access to data and processes by maintaining the physical computing environment including hardware and peripherals. 4. etc Research and development field, new solutions and new approaches continue to emerge, eg virtualisation for preservation

Drill down: digital preservation solutions. EDRMS forever?

Access and long term use depends on the constant configuration of hardware. software data and the capacity of the operator. … so we need to capture this configuration and use it to enable access. Metadata, documentation, representation information

Metadata, documentation, representation information Different levels of answer: OAIS Information Model PREMIS Data Dictionary METS for wrapping data Registry services (e.g TOTEM, PRONOM etc)

Need to integrate Digital preservation with wider Information management. … so we need to talk standards, have systems which are modular, and which can be tested on an on-going basis

Submit ArchiveDisseminate Picture from DLib

BUT …. You don’t need to know all of this and it doesn’t all need to exist any way.

Consultative Committee on Space Data Systems Inadvertent comparison with NASA Scales up really well

I’ve not seen one of them since What should I do? MigrateEmulate Oops! This is what success will look like …

Digital Preservation and Records Management? Could do better? EDRMS: must demonstrate value in the long term DP systems: need to deal with volume, complexity and information governance

Two emerging challenges and what we should be doing about them

    or Towards a universal declaration of interdependence. Internet of things as an internet of dependencies 1. The Edges of Data?

Product Lifecycle Management See TIMBUS CAD/CAM System Machine Tool Manufacturer Supply Chain Management Material Supplier Material Manufacturer

How to pick a winner... Adoption Dependency Disclosure Transparency Metadata support Interoperability Complexity Stability Rights management Todd, M 2009 ‘File formats for preservation’, DPC Technology Watch Report 02/09, online at reports.html 2. Volume, Capacity and Cybersecurity

How to pick a winner it’s not going to be about obsolescence so much as workflow and capacity

Obsolescence? the fall will probably kill you Data Volumes Cybersecurity Information Security Sensitivity Review Obsolescence may never arise if these other challenges are not addressed in DP context Butch: … then you jump first. Sundance: No I said Butch: What’s the matter with you? Sundance: I can’t swim. Butch: (laughs uproariously) Are you crazy: the fall will probably kill you. Sundance: (thinks) whooaaaaaa (jumps)

When to start? A complicated question … Digital objects Project Infrastructure and technological innovation Pilot Plan Fund Propose Scope Invite Capture Quality assure Integrating Processing Delivery Handover Obsolescence Release Value Begin CONTINUITY ready made

A single practical suggestion on how to address the gap

Let’s do it together Make friends Build alliances Many roles many solutions Too few leaders! Digital Preservation is for everyone

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make our digital memory accessible tomorrow... The Digital Preservation Coalition

We do 4 things … a political and institutional climate receptive to the need for digital preservation competent and responsive workforces better tools, smarter processes and enhanced capacity closer and more productive collaboration

We do 4 things … a political and institutional climate receptive to the need for digital preservation competent and responsive workforces better tools, smarter processes and enhanced capacity closer and more productive collaboration

Subtle drop in that we’re still looking to funding for the DP handbook… Speak to me at lunchtime Bring your cheque book

We do 4 things … a political and institutional climate receptive to the need for digital preservation competent and responsive workforces better tools, smarter processes and enhanced capacity closer and more productive collaboration

Better tools, smarter processes, enhanced capacity PDF JPEG 2000 Social media Transactional data …

We do 4 things … a political and institutional climate receptive to the need for digital preservation competent and responsive workforces better tools, smarter processes and enhanced capacity closer and more productive collaboration

St Andrews University National Library of Scotland National Records of Scotland Digital Curation Centre RCAHMS UK LOCKSS Alliance Edinburgh University Glasgow University British Library Archaeology Data Service York University Cambridge University Library UK Data Archive Open University Library Public Records Office of Northern Ireland Trinity College Dublin National Library of Ireland Digital Repository of Ireland National Archives National Library of Wales University of Aberystwyth RCAHMW CyMAL Historic England RCUK Archives and Records Association PORTICO United Nations NATO Bodleian Libraries Portsmouth University Manchester University Library Leeds University Library Hampshire and Solent Alliance Hull University Library Warwick University Sheffield University Library International alliances: NCDD, nestor, OPF, NDSA, NSLA, ICPSR … Loughborough University Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Wellcome Library King’s College London The National Archives Royal Museums Greenwich University of East London Lloyds Banking Group Parliamentary Archives British Museum TateBank of England ULCCHSBC Jisc BBC LSERIBA Bath University Grosvenor Estate

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Records Management and Digital Preservation (the same but different) DP Basics DP Solutions EDRMS forever (or till the next big snafu) Future Prospects Practical Actions