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Digital Archives
An Annotated Bibliography
Cassandra Sanford
INFO 522: Information Access and Resources
August 29, 2010
Introduction and Scope
The following bibliography covers information regarding digital archives. With the rapid advancement of technology, the establishment of digital archives is in great demand. More and more information is being developed only in digital format. A variety of books, papers, and media files are being digitized for preservation purposes and to create greater access for the public. The proper storage of this material has become a great concern and interest to the information science fields. The need for digital archives is high, and the issues and complications that have arisen with it are numerous. The realm of digital archives is a relatively new concept to those in the world of the information sciences. With the rapid advancement of the technology, the changing landscape of information, and the growing need to find a successful way to select, store, and preserve our information, we have encountered a new and exciting arena.
The articles selected for this bibliography were published between 2003 and 2010. More information is being discovered, discussed, and published regarding the subject of digital archives as more are being implemented into different institutions. Several of the articles that are included discuss the issues and complications that arise with the development of digital archives. One of the major issues that are discussed in a variety of articles is the confusion surrounding copyright laws regarding digital information. It is a complex and confusing subject which has become a great concern for those involved. Articles cover the complications of the development of a digital archive including how materials are chosen, and how to establish a system for the development of the archive. Another issues covered in many of the articles are the reliability and sustainability of digital repositories. Some of the articles deal with the matter of digitization of material as a means of preservation. Through these articles we see how digital archives have played a part in preserving our cultural heritage. A few of the articles illustrate the impact digital archives have had on intuitions and fields of research. An emphasis was placed on using current articles, and ensuring that their content would be able to be widely applied. While the majority of the items in the bibliography are articles from academic peer reviewed journals, there are two reports from a research company that provides a possible insight into the future of digital archives that could be useful.
Summary of Findings
Much of the discussions regarding digital archives revolve around the complex issues and complications that are involved with digital preservation and the archival process. The issues of copyright are one of the more complex and confusing complications plaguing the world of digital archives. New challenges have arisen due to the digital age in applying copy right laws. Legislations has yet to truly catch up with the changing technology creating uncertainties when applying laws to technology which they were not meant to cover. Besek (2003) has sought to elevate some of that confusion through her paper commissioned just for that purpose. Muir (2003) has illustrated through her article that copyright issues in the digital age is of global concern. The complexities of providing global access to material through a digital archive cause much controversy when it comes to intellectual property.
An emphasis on organization, selection, and proper planning is stressed by the information science community in the development of a digital archival project. Because the digital archive is a relatively new object, the staging, planning, and organization of a digital archive project is still a much discussed topic. In regards to a newspaper digital archive James-Gilboe (2005) highlights the difficulties and pitfalls of developing a digital archive while illustrating the growing demand and incentives of taking on the project. The landscape of information is changing; more information is being developed and published only in digital formats. Websites, journals, news, music, original research, and various forms of art and entertainment are examples of the type of information that are being produced solely in digital formats. This presents more challenges to the development of digital archives in organization and selection. Phillips (2005) covers in her article the dilemma that this presents to the preservation of information. In a world dominated by digital information, where anyone can write and publish, Phillips addresses these issues involved in selecting digital material worthy for preservation and archival (2005). With the digital deluge of information in all its various forms, they challenges lay not only in selection but also with preservation of that material. The rapid advancement of technology also means that the format the information exists in eventually becomes obsolete. More material is being lost because the information is not being transferred to a more current and assessable format (Conway, 2010).
Another issues discussed among the library and information science community is the reliability and the trust of digital repositories. As previously discussed, the advancement of new technology also means that the previous technology becomes obsolete. Information in an obsolete technological format is in danger of being lost. As more information is being developed only in digital format we then have the potential of losing part of our cultural heritage as the technology it was originally created on becomes obsolete. In a time where the rapid growth of new technology has the potential to make the technology of last year obsolete, this presents a challenge to archivist in establishing a reliable digital archive that will preserve and allow access in the same manner of the traditional physical archives. There is much discussion on what can be done to ensure the reliability and trust for digital repositories.Jantz and Giarlo (2006) delve deeply into this situation in their article Digital archiving and preservation.
The potential for technology obsoleteness is not the only issue involved when it comes to the reliability and trust of a digital repository. The type of digital archival system can impact the perceived trust of a digital archive. Seadle (2006) presents a case for a social model for a digital archive in his article A social model for archiving digital serials: LOCKSS.An argument has been made for an open source approach to the establishment of a digital archive, where they can avoid relying on companies whose future is not always certain. The threats to digital archives are various and different from the threats on traditional archives. One of the largest concerns for traditional archives is the physical deterioration or destruction. The information in digital archives can be just as vulnerable to being lost, but through technological obsolescence, poor maintenance, or malicious intent through hacking (2006).
The issues and complications that come along with digital archives are not able to surpass the benefits and advantages that digital archives bring. Digital archives have had an impact on the sustainability of information, and more significantly digital archives have been able to grant greater access to information.Mutusiak’s (2009) article shows how the digitization and the digital archival of material have been able to preserve and provide access to material to the world that would have been lost. The Mongolian newspaper and periodical digitization project is an excellent example of the impact digital archives have had on the accessibility of information. Bolick (2006) offers more insight into the impact of digital archives in the Digital archives: Democratizing the doing of history article. Digital archives have had the ability to equalize the research being done in historical fields. Previously, only those with special privileges were able to access the primary documents necessary for in depth historical research. Today with the growth of digital archives, libraries and museums are digitizing these primary documents for easier and widespread access.
The impact and influence of digital archives continues to grow. The request and granting for additional funding to digitize and store material are continually growing as well. Digitizing archive projects are being conducted in federal organizations, libraries, museums, non-profit organizations, and on the corporate level (Marcum, 2004). The field and impact of digital archives are something that will continue to grow as we progress within the digital age. The future of digital archives will be in discovering the most efficient and effective way of establishing and maintaining them (Hoorens, & Rothernberg, 2008).
Bibliography
Entry 1
Besek, J. M. (2003). Copyright issues relevant to the creation of a digital archive: A preliminary
Assessment. Strategies and tools for the digital library. Council on Library and Information
Resources, Library of Congress
Abstract: “The collection and long-term preservation of digital content pose challenges to the intellectual property regime within which libraries and archives are accustomed to working. How to achieve an appropriate balance between copyright owners and users is a topic of ongoing debate in legal and policy circles. This paper describes copyright rights and exceptions and highlights issues potentially involved in the creation of a nonprofit digital archive. The paper is necessarily very general, since many decisions concerning the proposed archive's scope and operation have not yet been made. The purpose of an archive (e.g., to ensure preservation or to provide an easy and convenient means of access), its subject matter, and the manner in which it will acquire copies, as well as who will have access to the archive, from where, and under what conditions, are all factors critical to determining the copyright implications for works to be included in it. The goal of this paper is to provide basic information about the copyright law for those developing such an archive and thereby enable them to recognize areas in which it could impinge on copyright rights and to plan accordingly.”
Annotation: This article was commissioned by the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, a program with the Library of Congress. Copyright issues is one of the major problems facing the realm of digital archives. June Besek is not a librarian or information specialist, but rather a faculty member of Columbia Law School. Her expertise helps to understand the complexities of copyright issues in the digital world. Copyright issues can be difficult and confusing to understand, particularly in the digital world. Ms. Besek does a nice job of relating the material for the needs of librarians and information specialist.
Search Strategy: I selected ERIC because of the variety of information it has in regards to the information science field. This was done using a keyword search.
Database:ERIC [Dialog]
Method of Searching:Keyword searching
Search String:b 1,7,47,438
s digital()archiv?
rd
s s2
Entry 2
Bolick, C. (2006). Digital archives: Democratizing the doing of history. International Journal of Social
Education, 21(1), 122-134.
Abstract: “The creation of digital archives has shifted the dynamics of doing historical research by changing who is able to conduct the research and how historical research is done. Digital archives are collections of numerical data, texts, images, maps, videos, and audio files that are available through the Internet. The majority of digital archives are free and accessible to all Internet users. Beyond offering access to resources that were unattainable by many before, digital archives offer users the opportunity to interact with resources in a non-linear fashion. Digital archives are one model of how technology can be used in the social studies classroom to teach and to learn in a way that was virtually impossible before the advent of the Internet. This study seeks to understand how teachers interact with digital archives by examining their experiences using digital archives to prepare a hypertext paper. The participants in this study were seventeen middle and secondary social studies teachers. Three primary sources of data were collected to inform this study: digital history inquiry projects, reflective narratives, and online discussion postings. Analysis of the data revealed three assertions related to the democratization of doing history. Each assertion explores one aspect of how digital archives can be used to democratize the doing of history. Here, the author explores the three themes that emerged and discusses the limitations of the study.”
Annotation: This article illustrates one of the many advantages digital archives have brought to the field of research. The focus is on the impact digital archives have had on the field of historical research, and how they have essentially brought an equality in regards to who has access to primary source material and can conduct proper historical research. Well written and a good example of one of the fields digital archives have had an impact on.
Search Strategy:I selected ERIC because of the wealth of information it contains in regards to the information science field. Found through an initial keyword search.
Database:ERIC [Dialog]
Method of Searching:Keyword searching
Search String:b 1,7,47,438
s digital()archiv?
rd
s s2
Entry 3
Conway, P. (2010). Preservation in the age of Google: Digitization, digital preservation, and dilemmas.
Library Quarterly, 80(1), 61-79.
Abstract: “The cultural heritage preservation community now functions largely within theenvironment of digital technologies. This article begins by juxtaposing definitionsof the terms “digitization for reservation” and “digital preservation” within a sociotechnicalenvironment for which Google serves as a relevant metaphor. It thenreviews two reports published twelve years apart under the auspices of the Councilon Library and Information Resources. Preserving Digital Information presented aninsightful and visionary framework for digital preservation in 1996. Preservation inthe Age of Large-Scale Digitization explores the implications for preservation practiceof the digitization of books and, by implication, our cultural heritage in general.These juxtapositions frame four dilemmas for preservation relating to the impactof environmental storage, new challenges to preservation quality, threats to audiovisualheritage, and an emerging expertise gap. The article concludes with recommendationsand observations on making difficult choices.”
Annotation: An interesting and intriguing article regarding the digital deluge and the issues and dilemmas regarding digital preservation in today’s digital age. Conway coherently explains the changing landscape of information and the issues that have evolved with it. Illustrates how more information is being developed only in digital form and the issues that arise in preserving that information. It is one of the more current articles dealing with the issues surrounding digital archives and preservation.
Search Strategy:I found this article through a reference to it in another article retrieved through a Dialog search. It was a letter from the editor regarding the topic regarding the topic of the digital age and preservation that was covered in that issue. I then found the articles that were referenced.
Database:N/A
Method of Searching:Citation
Search String:Referenced in:
Marty, P.F. (2010) An introduction to digital convergence: Libraries, archives, and museums in the information age. Library Quarterly, 80(1), 1-5.
Entry 4
Given, L.M., & McTavish, L. (2010). What’s old is new again: The reconvergence of libraries, archives,
and museums in the digital age. Library Quarterly, 80(1), 7-32.
Abstract: “As cultural institutions begin to share physical and human resources, and as newtechnologies reshape approaches to access and preservation, educational programsmust respond in kind. However, it is important to ask in what ways the currentconvergence of libraries, archives, and museums marks a return to tradition ratherthan a departure from it. Are new technologies and curricula leading these threefields of study and practice into new territory, or do they represent new stages inan ongoing history of acquisition, documentation, representation, and access tothe enduring knowledge of our communities? This article examines the historicconvergence between these institutions, with a focus on museums and libraries asrepositories of cultural artifacts. The long-standing epistemological links betweenlibraries and museums are explored using archival records and examining twocontemporary cases, pointing to the reconvergence of a traditional shared history.
Annotation: This article covers the effect that the digital age is having on our cultural institutions, and how the drive for digital preservation and wide scale access has began a merging of libraries, archives, and museums. It is a well written article on an interesting topic in the digital archive field, and the reader can tell that the author is enthused about the subject matter. However, the author does seem to stray somewhat from the main topic on occasion.
Search Strategy: I found this article through a reference to it in another article retrieved through a Dialog search. It was a letter from the editor regarding the topic regarding the topic of the digital age and preservation that was covered in that issue. I then found the articles that were referenced.
Databases:N/A
Method of Searching:Citation
Search String:Referenced in:
Marty, P.F. (2010) An introduction to digital convergence: Libraries, archives, and museums in the information age. Library Quarterly, 80(1), 1-5.
Entry 5
Hoorens, S., & Rothenberg, J. (2008). Digital preservation: The uncertain future of saving the past. RAND
Corporation report.
Abstract: “Digital objects are becoming a critical component of scholarly research, but stakeholders show an alarming lack of concern about preserving digital data accurately and sustainably; those charged with archiving information have not yet developed strategies that will enable future generations to build their knowledge on what has gone before. How will research findings be communicated in the future, and how true to the original look, feel and behaviour of these publications will digital archives need to be? Scenario planning can address the challenge of developing strategies in the face of these uncertainties to help librarians and archivists maintain the time-honoured tradition of preserving the past to inform the future.”