Digital Preservation of Electronic Media in Select Media Libraries in the National Capital Region of Delhi

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the status of digital preservation in media libraries and understand the process, methods, issues, benefits and digital preservation policy regarding digital preservation in media libraries in the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. The findings shed light on the digital preservation media and formats. Meta tagging, improved reliability and availability and reduced risk and complexity are top-most benefits of digital preservation. The obsolescence of hardware is the major technical problem. Identifying what needs to be preserved, technical support, selection, appraisal and the act of deciding what is to be preserved are top-most strategic and archival issues. Technological obsolescence and economic barriers are major technological barriers in accessing the digital heritage. The study also highlights the strong and weak points of preservation methods/techniques. There are no legal hassles in the way of digital preservation and have a well-devised plan for the task of digital preservation in media libraries.