Practical Digital Preservation: A How-To Guide for Organizations of Any Size

A practical guide to the development and operation of digital preservations services for organizations of any size

Practical Digital Preservation offers a comprehensive overview of best practice and is aimed at the non-specialist, assuming only a basic understanding of IT. The book provides guidance as to how to implement strategies with minimal time and resources.

Digital preservation has become a critical issue for institutions of all sizes but until recently has mostly been the preserve of national archives and libraries with the resources, time and specialist knowledge available to experiment.

As the discipline matures and practical tools and information are increasingly available the barriers to entry are falling for smaller organizations which can realistically start to take active steps towards a preservation strategy. However, the sheer volume of technical information now available on the subject is becoming a significant obstacle and a straightforward guide is required to offer clear and practical solutions.

Each chapter in Practical Digital Preservation covers the essential building blocks of digital preservation strategy and implementation, leading the reader through the process.

International case studies from organizations such as the Wellcome Library, Central Connecticut State University Library in the USA and Gloucestershire Archives in the UK illustrate how real organizations have approached the challenges of digital preservation.

Key topics include:

Making the case for digital preservation
Understanding your requirements
Models for implementing a digital preservation service
Selecting and acquiring digital objects
Accessioning and ingesting digital objects
Describing digital objects
Preserving digital objects
Providing access to users
Future trends.