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More on Digital Preservation

Compilation of Definitions for the Term: Digital Preservation

Compiled by Courtney Egan and Anne Thomason, Digital Preservation Assistants, for ICPSR
June 2007

There is no universal and accepted definition of the term digital preservation--yet. This compilation brings together currently used definitions to inform discussions in the interim.

Digital preservation:

1. is the process of maintaining, in a condition suitable for use, materials produced in digital formats, including preservation of the bit stream and the continued ability to render or display the content represented by the bit stream. The task is compounded by the fact that some digital storage media deteriorate quickly ("bit rot"), and the digital object is inextricably entwined with its access environment (software and hardware), which is evolving in a continuous cycle of innovation and obsolescence" Source: the "Dictionary for Library and Information Science," 2004, through Google Scholar

2. is the managed activities necessary for ensuring the long-term retention and usability of digital objects." Source: California Digital Library (CDL). Variation: "the managed activities necessary to ensure continued access to digital materials for as long as necessary." Source: the Documentary Heritage Collection Sector, Library and Archives Canada. "Digital Collection Development Policy" Feb 1 2006 (last updated)

3. means making sure that, for as long as you need it, you still have your digital information, that it is somewhere you can get at it, that it is authentic and not corrupted." From Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC), prepared for the DPC by Duncan Simpson, October 2004. "Contracting Out for Digital Preservation Services Information Leaflet and Checklist" (pdf)

4. concerns itself with the complex issues that arise when considering long-term preservation and retrieval of "born-digital" data o that is, data that exists in no other form." Source: Library of Congress, "Importance of Digital Preservation"

5. refers to the management of digital information over time. Unlike the preservation of paper or microfilm, the preservation of digital information demands ongoing attention. This constant input of effort, time, and money to handle rapid technological and organisational advance is considered the main stumbling block for preserving digital information beyond a couple of years. can be seen as the set of processes and activities that ensure the continued access to information and all kinds of records, scientific and cultural heritage existing in digital formatsis defined as: long-term, error-free storage of digital information, with means for retrieval and interpretation, for all the time span that the information is required for..." Source: wikipedia.org

6. is the maintenance of digital material over the long-term with a view to ensuring continued accessibility. Digital material refers to any material processed by a computer and includes both that which is "digitised" as well as those resources that are "born digital". Long-term in this context should be taken to mean long enough to be concerned with the impact of changing technologies - and should include timescales of decades and even centuriesIn general, digital preservation involves a number of organised tasks associated with a variety of technical approaches or strategies for ensuring that digital resources are not only stored appropriately, but also adequately maintained and thus consistently useable over time. Day-to-day preservation is based around the management of archive copies of deposited data resources - i.e. copies that are independent of any online representation." Source: UKOLN, the Good Practice Guide for Developers of Cultural Heritage Web Services

© 2007 Regents of the University of Michigan. ICPSR is part of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan.