Current and emerging challenges for the future of library and archival preservation

Abstract

Confronted with increasingly rapid technological developments and the likelihood of continued economic constraints, face numerous challenges in the coming years that are already affecting their operating models. While many functions are well-established, the responsibility of adequately preserving our collections remains a mandate only partially fulfilled. Many of the same developments that increase access complicate preservation efforts by increasing the competition for diminishing resources, expanding the number of options available, and fundamentally questioning established norms such as the notion of permanence. This paper explores the impact of these trends on the library's role as memory institution and poses questions about the near future of preservation in the research library. ********** The landscape of librarianship changed rapidly within the last thirty years. In retrospect, it transformed at a far more rapid pace than many administrators anticipated. Ferguson's recent essay, Vision? Whose Values? provides one example of this rapid metamorphosis. (1) From an environment centered on primarily managing print-bound information and providing access largely through extensive print catalogs, to the management of highly diversified collections of print, multimedia, and electronic resources, collection management (the acquisition, intellectual control, and preservation of collections) faced the monumental task of keeping pace with this change. As a comparatively young component of many libraries management activities, preservation management faced the task of continuing to develop sound standards and best practices for the care of analog collections and rapidly refocusing itself to incorporate the development of digital technologies. Yet, much about the future of preservation activities remains uncertain. Indeed, one could argue that the next several years hold the promise of the greatest period of change for the preservation community since the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the field's pioneers struggled to gain professional legitimacy and develop a structure for further development. This paper examines eight challenges facing preservation management in the next several years, ranging from the ongoing issue of how best to preserve digital information to the more familiar problems embodied in the permanence and sustainability of both information resources and the profession itself. Ensuring the Accessibility, Integrity, and Permanence of Digital Materials Despite great advances in recent years, preserving digital resources is so complex that it will continue to be an issue for the near future. Many projects conducted over the last five to ten years that focused on the preservation of digital resources are starting to prove their worth. For example, the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) model of creating distributed, redundant archives of digital resources is gaining acceptance for the preservation of online resources. (2) A recent Council on Library and Information Research publication has stated that the primary issue of uncertainty in digital preservation centers on the institution's willingness to manage data rather than on the technical issues associated with its production and long-term storage. (3) On a national level, the United States federal government recently awarded grants for the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP)--a $99 million effort at developing a national program for the preservation of digital information. (4) Encouraging collaboration between private industry, higher education, and the federal government, this program seeks to develop a means for preserving the nation's digital information resources. While developing a national digital preservation plan exceeds the capacity of any one university or library, the rapid pace of technological change continues, forcing to respond to campus-level demands that are often beyond their immediate control. …

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