Cross-Sectoral Development of Digital Preservation Strategies:

Examining Real Life Examples

Seamus Ross, Monica Greenan, Peter McKinney

www.erpanet.org

Introduction

ERPANET works to enhance the preservation of cultural and scientific digital objects through raising awareness, providing access to experience, sharing policies and strategies, and improving practices.

The Project Nodes

The Humanities Advanced Technology and Information Institute (HATII)

Schweizerisches Bundesarchiv

Nationaal Archief van Nederland

Institute for Archival and Library Science(Università degli Studi di Urbino)

ERPANET will:• raise awareness of sources of information about

the preservation of digital objects• stimulate research and encourage the development

of standards in digital preservation• build an online community• stimulate awareness among software producers of

the preservation needs of the user community

Objectives

erpastudies

erpatools

erpaadvisory

erpaworkshops

erpatraining

erpacharter

erpaproducts

erpaassessments

Organisations Need Help• Off-the-shelf policy statements

• Business cases & strategies

• Digestible guidance on technologies and their preservation implications

• Improved models (reference, costs, standards, functional requirements)

• Simple Guidelines on digital survival

• Guidance on creating data repositories

• IPR support and guidance

• Case studies in public and private sectors

• Geographical spread and organisation size

• Outcomes:

– Vertical View: reviews of how different sectors approach digital preservation

– Horizontal View: looking across a range of topics what are best practices across domains.

erpastudies

erpaStudies (2)

Researching what?• Assessment of the Sectoral Exposure• Sectoral Awareness and Investment• Policy Building Strategies• Risk Perception & Management• Mechanisms for Compliance & Audit• Cost-Benefit Rationalisation• Technologies

erpastudies

erpastudiesBasic results

• Illustrate methodologies and practices• Provide a basis for establishing practical

guidelines• Increase awareness• Stimulate sharing of information and experiences

erpastudiesResearch by Questionnaire

10 companies per case study

3 people in each company– Business Manager– IT Manager– Archivist

erpastudiesQuestionnaire split into:

– perception and awareness of digital preservation;

– understanding how digital preservation affects the organisation;

– actions taken;– monitoring of actions; and– future requirements.

erpastudiesROUND 1 ROUND 2 ROUND 3

Publishing Retail Automotive

Telecommunications Architecture Train traffic control

Pharmaceuticals Aerospace Insurance

Broadcasting Entertainment (film)

Air traffic control

• Planning stage progressed slowly

• More Complex than we imagined

• Labour intensive

• Difficulties obtaining successful targets– at the mercy of companies who pull out

• Lower throughput than we imagined

The Problem

erpastudies

PUBLISHING

BROADCASTING

PHARMACEUTICAL

TELECOMS

BBC, RAI, ERT, SF DRS Swisscom, Orange

AstraZeneca, Aventis, Bayer, Böhringer, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Organon NV

Gruppo Mondadori, Hachette, HMSO, Kluwer, OUP, Random House, UNESCO, EU

erpastudiesTypes of Information and Objects

Digitised

Business

Film Audio

LegalBorn-digital

ResearchText

databases

erpastudiesRESULTS

Types of data (very different)

Increasing amount of info

Awareness of issues (varying)

No authoritative sources of info

erpastudiesRESULTS

RATIONALE

• Legal

• Cultural

• Historical

• Financial

PRACTICES

• Incomplete

• Individual

• Ad hoc

erpastudiesRESULTS

Risk

Responsibility (?)

Cooperation

Hesitancy

erpastudiesQuick Conclusions

ERPANET to target more areasIntra-sectoral collaborationCross-sectoral discussionVendor awareness

erpastudiesNext Steps

Addressing our problem– Smaller & larger case studies

Addressing their problem– Tools

Year 1 Tools– Policy Building Framework– Costing Digital Preservation Strategies– Digital Object Risk Management

Methods– Selecting Technologies

erpatools

www.erpanet.orgcoordinator@erpanet.org