Digital Preservation Challenges Research Articles

Challenges and opportunities in preserving intangible cultural heritage: lessons from the Demoscene

The Demoscene is a pioneering digital culture and an art form. Its roots in Poland date back to the mid-1980s. In 2019, the Polish Demosceners, alongside their Finnish and German counterparts in the Art of Coding campaign, embarked on an initiative to advocate for the recognition of the Demoscene by UNESCO. This move highlighted the tension between the inherently decentralised and demarcating nature of the Demoscene and formal requirements of cultural heritage preservation. In this paper, we present a brief overview of the Demoscene, combining personal observations from the UNESCO enlisting process with insights gathered from a supportive study conducted among Demoscene community members. The results of this study are presented in the context of digital preservation challenges in various domains, offering a comparative perspective. The paper concludes with some insights into what information to store alongside the Demoscene productions themselves and outlines potential further work, addressing both current and emerging challenges faced by the Demoscene community.

Time is a thief of memory

This paper is based upon a presentation during the session ‘The Version of Record under Attack! The Dark Side of the Scholarly Publishing Universe’ at the 17th APE Conference. It discusses the complex challenges of long-term digital preservation and how CLOCKSS is collaborating with publishers, libraries, and other stakeholders to preserve digital scholarship over the coming centuries.

Digital Archive and Preservation Against Technological Obsolescence. Building a Cartography of Latin American Digital Literature

In this article, we will discuss the preservation of works of Latin American digital literature and the construction of digital archives. Starting from a discussion of the concept of digital literature, we will broach the implications and challenges of digital preservation and archiving, concerning the works we collected for the project “Cartography of Latin American Digital Literature”. Finally, we will present ideas and questions which arise from this work related to innovation, digital aesthetics, and the experience of creating an archive of Latin American digital literature in times of impermanence.

Digital preservation of information sources at academic libraries in Jordan: an employee’s perspective

Purpose Digital preservation requires new skills and collaboration among library staff to maintain long-term access to information resources. Digital content and digital technologies pose a serious challenge to information institutions to continue to select, preserve and access information resources. However, there is an urgent need to increase awareness of the new trends in the partnership between research communities and academic libraries; there is also a need for new digital preservation-related skills among librarians. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the benefits, importance, requirements and challenges of digital preservation in academic libraries in Jordan.Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was disseminated to 150 library staff working at the 10 public universities in Jordan, with 133 questionnaires suitable to analyze with a response rate of (88.6%).Findings The results indicate a moderate perception of the benefits and importance of digital preservation, as well as the requirements and challenges in academic libraries in Jordan to carry out the digital preservation process. This indicated the importance of increasing the academic libraries' – specifically academic libraries in Jordan – awareness of the vast and important benefits of digital preservation to maintain long-term access to information. It was noted that factors such as sex, experience, educational level and specialization did not affect the results.Practical implications The findings will provide insights for other academic libraries on how to plan and develop preservation policies to maintain access to information.Social implications Access to information is a human right that contributes to the advocacy of sustainable development, and hence, digital preservation can facilitate long-term availability and accessibility to information.Originality/value This paper provides insights and practical solutions for academic libraries in response to technological development and the change requirements. It will help academic libraries handle and cope with the challenges of providing distance library services over digital channels.

Challenges of Digital Preservation of Information: A Case of Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service, Kenya

Across the world an increasing number of organizations face national and institutional obligations in relation to collection and preservation of digital objects. Digital preservation is a major problem facing information centers all over the world. Most of information centers in the third world countries are faced with issues in digital preservation of information. With the advancement of digital technologies, computer-based apparatus has become dominant forces to shape and reshape record systems and services. The application of information technologies in record management and services have become key to satisfying ever changing complex information demand and expectation of users at Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service (KNADS). The application of digital preservation has been confronted with a number of challenges such as , Media Deterioration, technological obsolescence, Funding, Computer Phobia, technical Expertise, Inadequate Technology Infrastructures, Information Security, Lack of National Information Policy (NIP) in Kenya, Copyright and Cost Issues, Virus Attacks. Therefore, the study sought to assess the implications of these challenges. The research study employed the use of a descriptive research design with a target population of 50 respondents from The Kenya National Archives Nairobi Office which included 10 Middle level managers and 40 operational managers at Kenya National Archives Nairobi Office. The study involved all 50 employees as its sample size since the number was small and representation of all was required, semi structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. Data was analysed through descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. From this result it implied that challenges faced in implementing digital preservation practice had influence on the ease of access and use of information at KNADS. The coefficient of determination was calculated, r square was 0.229, indicating that the two variables share 22.9 percent of their variance. This means that there was evidence of overlap between the two variables. The study therefore concluded that KNADS has quite a number of challenges to overcome for it to realize digital preservation. Insufficient funding in the organization was established to be a major setback since Digital Preservation technologies required huge capital and human investment. Lack of information policy was cited as another impediment for KNADS to accomplish digital preservation project.

Factors that influence digital preservation sustainability in academic libraries in South Africa

This study investigated the factors that can inform the implementation of sustainable digital preservation in academic libraries, with a view to developing a conceptual preservation model applicable to these institutions. The survey research design was used, underpinned by a quantitative research method and guided by a conceptual framework. Online survey questionnaires were emailed to all twenty-seven academic libraries in South Africa. The findings show that academic libraries in South Africa are significantly affected by the changes in the digital environment. Most of these institutions are faced with many challenges as they attempt to preserve their digital content, including a lack of institutional commitment and involvement; absence of established digital preservation standards, policies and procedures; inadequate resources; lack of skills and training; lack of funding; limited collaboration efforts and partnerships; and technological obsolescence. This study recommends that these institutions can address many of their digital preservation challenges if they leverage these factors. The study proposes a conceptual model for preservation of digital resources in academic libraries, mapped with the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) reference model.

The story so far-digital preservation in institutional repositories

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the standards, strategies, support and challenges of digital preservation in institutional repositories in academic libraries in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe research was qualitative. Data used for analysis were drawn from interviews with respondents selected purposively from eight Ghanaian academic libraries.FindingsA key finding of the study was that although the academic libraries had operational directions for digital preservation activities in the institutional repositories, available standards and practices for ensuring long-term preservation seem to be unsuitable.Research limitations/implicationsRecommendations based on findings included development of comprehensive digital preservation policies to provide mandate and direction to preservation of the libraries digital collections, development of disaster plans, adequate funding, staff development and support from management.Originality/valueThe study has demonstrated the need for academic libraries in Ghana to have and develop good digital preservation standards for sustaining the institutional repositories to help in realizing its benefits.

Endings: Concluding, Archiving, and Preserving Digital Projects for Long-Term Usability

This report describes some of the practical solutions to the challenges of long-term digital preservation being developed by the project Endings: Concluding, Archiving, and Preserving Digital Projects for Long-Term Usability at the University of Victoria.

Survey of Digital Preservation Challenges in Nigerian Libraries: Librarians' Perspectives

This paper investigates digital preservation challenges in Nigerian libraries. In carrying out this study four research questions were posed. The study sample population comprised of 172 participants at the 2nd Conference of Certified Librarians from various libraries and institutions across Nigeria, organised by the Librarians’ Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN) in Abuja on the 11th – 16th October, 2015. The outcome of the study revealed that digital preservation challenges persist despite the awareness of digital preservation strategies by librarians in Nigerian libraries. The findings revealed major challenges facing digital preservation, such as hardware and software obsolesces, lack of training, lack of backup and standards, lack of strategy policy, lack of funds, lukewarm attitude among the librarians and lack of legal right to preservation of content. Recommendations were made to protect and safeguard digital preservation challenges in the libraries, including the recommendation that the Nigerian Library Association (NLA), Librarians Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN), University management and Library stakeholders should create a standard policy, provide needed skills for the librarians, lobby government for more funds and ensure that funds allocated to the libraries are properly utilised for effective digitization of library resources for future use.

Artists’ Books and the Problem of Digital Preservation

Abstract:Artists’ books have become a popular genre for many institutions collecting art objects and unique books. The attempt to preserve the physical artists’ books often competes with the desire to extend user access to these highly tactile works. Partial digitization of artists’ books has allowed many institutions to cultivate an online presence for these collections, increasing access without compromising the physical integrity of the objects. However, creation of digital surrogates for artists’ books often sacrifices the authenticity and access to the intellectual content of the work. The challenge of digital preservation for artists’ books demonstrates the shortcomings of digital reformatting for works that may be intellectual and artistic.

The Great Automatic Grammatizator: writing, labour, computers

What does it mean when we say that computers can ‘write’ and how are recent developments in neural networks and machine learning changing this capacity? This article examines the long-standing literary fear of authorship being replaced by machines while also interrogating the labour and credit implications that sit behind widely used structures of authorship in a technological age. The argument makes reference to one work of computer-generated writing – Johannes Helden & Hakan Jonson’s Evolution [2014] – and to one software paradigm (a character-based recurrent neural networks for language acquisition trained on the corpus of the journal Textual Practice). I here argue that unless we conceive more broadly of the criteria for ‘authorship’ as a labour function, and unless we take seriously the need to see textual production as social production, hybridized (but predominantly) machine identities will come to dominate a literary landscape.

Preserving the digital heritage of public institutions in Ghana in the wake of electronic government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine digital preservation of e-government in Ghana under the research question: what are the current digital preservation strategies being deployed across the ministries and agencies in Ghana? Design/methodology/approach Guided by a conceptual framework, underpinned by a quantitative approach, the paper uses the survey approach, to address the digital preservation strategies deployed across public sector organisations in Ghana. It underscores the link between the conceptual framework and the literature to analyse the various digital preservation strategies. Findings Backup strategy, migration, metadata and trusted repositories were noted as the most widely implemented preservation strategies across the ministries and agencies. On the other hand, cloud computing, refreshing and emulation were the least implemented strategies used to address the digital preservation challenges. Research limitations/implications The paper adds to the existing conceptual underpinnings that have dominated the debate about data management, archival storage, preservation strategies, challenges and best practices of digital preservation of e-government. Originality/value This study draws its originality from the evidence of studies on digital preservation in Ghana as most studies have rather focussed on the preservation of documentary heritage, preservation and security of microfilms, preservation practices in the public records (Akussah, 2002; Ampofo, 2009; Festus, 2010). The emergence of this study addresses the knowledge gap in the preservation of digital records in a country where little attention has been accorded to digital preservation. The study also feeds into Ghana’s vision 2020 and the information communication technology policy document of the ministry of communication which aims at ensuring that Ghanaians have access to information and communication technology products and services.

Key threats and challenges to the preservation of digital records of public institutions in Ghana

ABSTRACTThe rapid pace with which technology is changing continues to pose a perpetual threat to digital preservation. Although initiatives in digital preservation in Europe, North America, Asia and sporadic attempts in Africa appear to have yielded some level of progress, permanent access to information and longevity of digital records continue to be a problem. Whilst Africa’s contribution to the growth of digital records may be insignificant, it is growing and Ghana cannot be insulated from this threat of digital growth. This paper examines the current challenges of digital preservation in sub-Saharan Africa with particular reference to Ghana. It identified funding, level of security and privacy, skills training and technological obsolescence as factors that pose key threats to digital preservation. The paper recommends that the ministries and agencies can address many of the digital preservation challenges if they adopt backup, refreshing, metadata and migration strategies.

Preservation Challenges in the Digital Age

The digital preservation field is evolving rapidly. Focal areas are changing and best practices are still under debate. Preservation efforts must address not just preservation of the technologies of the past, but also those of the future. The rapidly increasing volume of data requiring preservation makes other digital preservation challenges inherently larger and more complex. The shorter lifespan of digital materials also makes the need for timely and effective preservation action more urgent. This article describes what the author sees as the current major challenges in digital preservation, and covers a range of technical, administrative, legal and logistical aspects.

Irish Archaeological Data: Toward a Framework

The EU co-funded project Advanced Research Infrastructure for Archaeological Dataset Networking in Europe (ARIADNE) aims to integrate data and services across Europe for the archaeological research community. The Discovery Programme has investigated data holdings and management practices in Irish archaeology, focusing on what information is available in physical and digital forms, approaches to preservation and accessibility, and the challenges and opportunities around dataset networking with Irish archaeological data. While significant work will be required to enable the accessibility expected by researchers now and in future, there is also an opportunity to approach the challenges of digital preservation as a community.

Digital Preservation Challenges with an ETD Collection — A Case Study at Texas Tech University

The dangers that digital files face can seem merely the stuff of theory and risk assessment matrices until an institution experiences its first data loss; especially when those digital files represent the graduate research output of a university, the potential impact of that loss increases exponentially. The authors present a case study of the challenges one academic library has encountered in the stewardship of its electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) over the course of a decade. This article examines the problems that can arise years after the transition from a physical to electronic collection and presents documentation solutions that can make ETD preservation and curation more effective.

Overwhelmed to action: digital preservation challenges at the under-resourced institution

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the importance of beginning digital preservation efforts with restricted resources. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a case study approach, which is enhanced by advice from national experts in digital preservation. Findings – This paper details how Milner Library digital preservation advocates have approached the task by seeking collaborations, speaking to administration, participating in national efforts and starting with small steps. Research limitations/implications – As a case study, this paper is limited to one institution's experience with promoting digital preservation. Practical implications – This paper reviews basic misconceptions about and challenges with digital preservation. Many smaller or mid-sized institutions are left out of the digital preservation conversation because they cannot begin to meet national standards with restricted resources. Originality/value – This paper represents small and mid-sized institutions and the challenges of digital preservation. As well, the paper includes valuable insights from national experts in digital preservation.

Challenges of Digital Preservation in Africa

This is an exploratory study of the challenges facing digital preservation in Africa. The study reviewed several literature on digital preservation in Africa. The study concluded that Archives and libraries must contend with entirely new forms of electronically-enabled discourse and new forms of artistic and cultural expression that do not have predecessors in the analogue world. Equally, no current preservation method is adequate for preserving dynamic data objects from complex systems stating that there are no established conceptual models or technical processes for preserving multi-media works, interactive hyper-media, on-line dialogues, or many of the new electronic forms being created today. The archival requirements to preserve content, context, and structure and to maintain the capability to display, link, and manipulate digital objects only heighten their software dependency

Challenges of Digital Preservation of Manuscripts to the Nigerian Education and Information Systems

Knowledge, as the engine that drives human civilizations and existence, must continue to be eternally preserved. However, the challenges that face the achievement of this essential objective have always been daunting. Languages, like all units of human knowledge and culture, need to be preserved and conserved because of their role in human societies. Fortunately, technological advancement has led to innovations in the field of data and manuscript conservation and preservation. This article, therefore, focuses on the digital preservation of manuscripts and the challenges posed to the Nigerian educational and information systems, highlighting the concepts of digital preservation and digital conservation strategies necessary for preserving language manuscripts. The plausibility of strategies such as technology emulation, migration, encapsulation, and restoration was identified. Furthermore, the challenges facing the use of these and other strategies were explored. Finally, the article proposes ways of overco...

Curating Scientific Research Data for the Long Term: A Preservation Analysis Method in Context

The challenge of digital preservation of scientific data lies in the need to preserve not only the dataset itself but also the ability it has to deliver knowledge to a future user community. A true scientific research asset allows future users to reanalyze the data within new contexts. Thus, in order to carry out meaningful preservation we need to ensure that future users are equipped with the necessary information to re-use the data. This paper presents an overview of a preservation analysis methodology which was developed in response to that need on the CASPAR and Digital Curation Centre SCARP projects. We intend to place it in relation to other digital preservation practices, discussing how they can interact to provide archives caring for scientific data sets with the full arsenal of tools and techniques necessary to rise to this challenge.