Long-Term Archiving

We can now inform ourselves about the current state of research on strategies for long-term storage of digital data by international professional circles in a German-language handbook that is continually being updated.

Mammoth projects on the digitalization of books, documents, notes, pictures, etc. serve to make humanity’s cultural heritage increasingly available online. Thus, the obstacles to accessing information are decreasing, but at the same time, pressure is building to find a solution to the problem of the long-term storage of digital data.

Librarians, archivists and curators throughout the world have been addressing the many unanswered questions in this area for decades. And now we can inform ourselves about the current state of international discussion on the professional level in a German-language publication. It is edited and published by a team of nestor staff members, the Kompetenznetzwerk Langzeitarchivierung und Langzeitverfügbarkeit digitaler Ressourcen für Deutschland (i.e. the German network of expertise in long-term preservation and availability of digital resources), by practicing experts in the field and university partners.

For the first time in German

The first version of the Kleine Enzyklopädie der digitalen Langzeitarchivierung (i.e the little encyclopedia of long-term digital storage) appeared in spring 2007. "The handbook is to provide a survey of the wide-ranging topic of long-term storage. It is intended for professors and educators as well as for students; but also for professionals coming into contact with the area for the first time," explains the co-editor, Dr. Heike Neuroth. But not only newcomers to the field profit from the knowledge accumulated here: "Everyone who wishes to deal with the topic more closely will find suggestions and further literature here."

A few prototypes for such a handbook exist in the Anglo-American world. But in the past, the representatives of nestor received so many inquiries about a relevant introductory work in German, that the Kompetenznetzwerk transformed the oft-repeated wish into a project. "Our goal is to open up the international discussion for the German community, as well."

Concentrated Expertise

Until now, about 20 experts have become involved in the handbook project and have written papers on the technical and legal aspects of long-term storage, mostly in team-work. "We have so many experts in the German-language area that it made sense to divide up responsibility for particular themes." says Neuroth.

Among the issues being dealt with are problems in data migration, possibilities of system emulation, attempts at standardization, the development of certification procedures, the limits to material preservation, and questions on the preservation of operability. In addition, opportunities for both beginning and advanced training and international cooperation in long-term data storage are presented.

Long-Term Data Storage as an International Project

"This handbook would not exist without international cooperation," Heike Neuroth emphasizes. She is the director of the Department of Research and Development of the Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek in Göttingen (i.e. State and University Library of Göttingen, Lower Saxony).

"Although we by no means need to feel ashamed about our own developments, the fact is that long-term data storage is an international issue. One country is unable to fulfill all of the technical, financial, political and standards-related requirements by itself – that can only take place through interaction and cooperation. This is why our handbook can only be as good as its ability to take into account and reflect international developments."

A Living Document

The nestor handbook provides enough space for this, because it is conceived as a living document, one that can be continually updated and supplemented. It is available in the Internet as a pdf-file and is available for viewing and downloading free of charge – in individual chapters, if desired. "It was important to us that this handbook be made available under open-access conditions," explains Heike Neuroth.

Not all of the projected themes have been completed in the first version, so that supplementing the handbook constitutes one of the major challenges for the editorial team. This will be particularly difficult in the areas of Business Models and Costs. "Unfortunately, there is still no reliable information available on this in the international environment, either." Topics relevant to the area of museums are also still open and experts are still being sought as authors here.

But Heike Neuroth’s wish is that the Kleine Enzyklopädie der digitalen Langzeitarchivierung (i.e. little encyclopedia of long-term digital storage) will establish itself as a medium for teaching at the university level in any event. "So that we can keep on optimizing it with the assistance of students in Germany, Austria and Switzerland." And thus we shall hopefully be able to find solutions to unanswered questions pertaining to the long-term storage of digital data in the nestor handbook, in the not-too-distant future.