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   Digital Preservation Resources

Digital Preservation Basics

Although digitizing fragile items can help to preserve the physical items by limiting future handling, preservation efforts do not stop at this point.  The digital items also need to be preserved.  

Digital preservation is a series of managed activities necessary to ensure continued access to digital materials for as long as they are needed.*     

Preservation activities include: 

  • documenting information about files
  • storing multiple copies at widely distributed sites 
  • monitoring for and repairing file damage 
  • limiting and tracking access to preserved copies
  • migrating from obsolete formats 

*definition from the Digital Preservation Coalition Glossary

Some Digital Preservation Options

Following best practices for digital preservation can be daunting on your own.  A few non-commercial organizations that can help with Digital Preservation are shown below.  Although there are costs associated with participation, these options are generally less costly than the commercial alternatives.

MetaArchive Collaborative: a digital preservation network created and hosted by and for memory organizations

APTrust: a consortium of higher education institutions committed to providing both a preservation repository for digital content and collaboratively developed services related to that content

Chronopolis:  a geographically distributed preservation network originally funded by the Library of Congress

DuraCloud:  a hosted cloud storage service with features that enable digital preservation, data access, and data sharing

Digital Preservation Resources

Myntti, Jeremy, and Jessalyn Zoom, editors. Digital Preservation in Libraries : Preparing for a Sustainable Future. ALA Editions. 2019.

CONTACT

Email Butler University Libraries
Irwin Library: 317-940-9227
Science Library: 317-940-9937

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