<$BlogRSDUrl$> Marcus P. Zillman, M.S., A.M.H.A. Author/Speaker/Consultant
Marcus P. Zillman, M.S., A.M.H.A. Author/Speaker/Consultant
Internet Happenings, Events and Sources


Saturday, May 22, 2004  

Progress Report On National Digital Info Preservation Program
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0503/mgt-campbell-05-03-04.asp

Laura Campbell, associate librarian for strategic initiatives at the Library of Congress, says of her work spearheading the LC's collaborative National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, "It's the best job I ever had." Campbell and her colleagues are finishing up their review of 22 proposals from potential preservation partners and are working with experts to construct a technical architecture for the preservation process. Nearly 5 terabytes of digital works characterized as "at risk" have been collected so far. They include Web pages that document recent events, such as the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the ongoing war in Iraq. Librarians used to worry about preserving access to books and periodicals, says Campbell, but with most Web sites staying up an average of only 44 days, preserving access to them is far more complicated. In addition, the copyright issues surrounding long-term preservation of digital journals, books, and audio and video material have yet to be resolved. "There may be technological solutions that make the management of restricted material much easier," says Campbell. Because so much about digital preservation is yet unknown, Campbell says the library's strategy is to learn by doing and be prepared to make corrections along the way. She credits the many experts she consulted during the planning phase of the program with impressing upon her the need for continuing flexibility: "It helped us realize that we would always be learning and adjusting," says Campbell.

posted by Marcus Zillman | 4:00 AM
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