Abstract

This very practical guide, offering a comprehensive overview of best practice, is aimed at the non-specialist, assuming only a basic understanding of IT and offering 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. However, 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 covers the essential building blocks of digital preservation strategy and implementation including: making the case for digital preservation; understanding your requirements; models for implementing a digital preservation service; selecting and acquiring digital content; accessioning and ingesting digital objects; describing digital objects; preserving digital objects; providing access to users; future trends. This is an essential handbook for anyone involved in digital preservation in medium or smaller sized organizations and those wanting to get a better understanding of the process. It's also a useful guide to digital preservation basics for students studying library and information science, archives and records management courses and academics getting to grips with practical issues.
Adrian Brown is Assistant Clerk of the Records at the Parliamentary Archives and has lectured and published widely on all aspects of digital preservation. He was previously Head of Digital Preservation at the National Archives where his team won the International Digital Preservation Award in 2007.