USC LIM591B Digital Curation and Preservation Environment Report (original) (raw)

Digital preservation and curation encompasses a fairly broad field of collection development and access issues for libraries. Libraries may be involved to some degree in one or all of these areas of interest. These include: digitization of traditional print materials and audio-visual, acquisition of materials “born digital” through harvesting of the web, acquisition of digital materials from publishers, and access to licensed digital content from vendors (Cathro, 2007). The issues of selection, copyright, storage, access and future technological advancements impact digital collections. As more digital content is generated, libraries once concerned with shelf space, cataloging and circulation, find themselves concerned more and more with licensing, data harvesting, scanning resolutions, file formats, metadata, digital repositories, server space, user access, data conversion and bitrot. Moreover, the concept of digital preservation is one that encompasses the “policies and activities necessary to ensure the enduring usability, authenticity, discoverability and access of content” over the long term (Kirchhoff, 2008). The skills needed to work in this environment involve more than strict librarianship or archival skills. Additionally, rants may be needed to facilitate the implementation of digitization projects and in some cases to continue them over time as technology advances. The ability to seek and negotiate appropriate funding for projects are skills that librarians and others interested in working in the field may need, in addition to establishing or working within the organizational context of the strategic plan. Keywords: digital preservation, digital curation, digitization, OAIS reference model, access rights management, digital archive, digital library, digital repository, metadata, long-term preservation