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The Theory and Craft of Digital Preservation
Trevor Owens
Publication Date
A guide to managing data in the digital age.
Winner of the ALCTS Outstanding Publication Award of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, Winner of the Waldo Gifford Leland Award of the Society of American Archivists
Many people believe that what is on the Internet will be around forever. At the same time, warnings of an impending "digital dark age"—where records of the recent past become completely lost or inaccessible—appear with regular frequency in the popular press. It's as if we need a system to safeguard our digital records for future scholars and researchers…
A guide to managing data in the digital age.
Winner of the ALCTS Outstanding Publication Award of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, Winner of the Waldo Gifford Leland Award of the Society of American Archivists
Many people believe that what is on the Internet will be around forever. At the same time, warnings of an impending "digital dark age"—where records of the recent past become completely lost or inaccessible—appear with regular frequency in the popular press. It's as if we need a system to safeguard our digital records for future scholars and researchers. Digital preservation experts, however, suggest that this is an illusory dream not worth chasing. Ensuring long-term access to digital information is not that straightforward; it is a complex issue with a significant ethical dimension. It is a vocation.
In The Theory and Craft of Digital Preservation, librarian Trevor Owens establishes a baseline for practice in this field. In the first section of the book, Owens synthesizes work on the history of preservation in a range of areas (archives, manuscripts, recorded sound, etc.) and sets that history in dialogue with work in new media studies, platform studies, and media archeology. In later chapters, Owens builds from this theoretical framework and maps out a more deliberate and intentional approach to digital preservation.
A basic introduction to the issues and practices of digital preservation, the book is anchored in an understanding of the traditions of preservation and the nature of digital objects and media. Based on extensive reading, research, and writing on digital preservation, Owens's work will prove an invaluable reference for archivists, librarians, and museum professionals, as well as scholars and researchers in the digital humanities.
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Reviews
Reviews
This book fills a gap. Finally, someone who has been entrusted with the evaluation, acquisition, and use of digital objects has summarized his tasks from a technical perspective in a well-thought-out text and backed up theory... [Owens] manages to guide the readers in an understandable and clear way through unfamiliar terrain. The book is therefore recommended to all beginners in this area, but also "old hands" will recognize many of their own experiences or maybe learn something else.
Trevor Owens has written a thoughtful and thought-provoking book... Owens provides important guidance on taking a step back to gain perspective on what one is trying to accomplish with the preservation of a digital object or collection. That is, to see preservation not merely as a technological process to be applied to all objects, but as a craft to be applied as appropriate in the context of particular digital collections and their archival purpose.
The Theory and Craft of Digital Preservation is a thoughtful, well-written, and extremely readable book. Owens draws from many cultures and disciplines to illustrate and define how we have preserved and will continue to preserve digital information.
Anyone looking for an approachable introduction to digital preservation, or a new perspective on persistent digital quandaries, will find something useful in this book.
A thoughtful guide that will launch a thousand preservation projects. It will inspire many historians not only to approach their sources in productive new ways, but also to better appreciate the sophisticated contributions of those who tend the archives on which we depend. It is highly recommended.
Anyone looking for an approachable introduction to digital preservation, or a new perspective on persistent digital quandaries, will find something useful in this book.
An indispensable handbook that will be kept close at hand—used, reached for, and above all really read by those seeking a conceptual framework through which to understand the practicalities of grappling with the complex new reality of digital objects. Opening up the most theoretically sophisticated body of research in digital platforms to an entirely new audience while simultaneously equipping that audience with the conceptual background they need to function as experts in today's information environment, Owens's book is a practical, even-handed, and clear-eyed walkthrough of day-to-day situations. I expect it will be widely adopted in library and information science courses.
Acknowledging that we are part of 'a long-standing and worldwide tradition of memory keepers,' Trevor Owens challenges us to use the lessons learned in traditional preservation as we approach digital preservation. Distinguishing digital preservation as craft rather than science, Owens provides reassurance to all of us worried about finding the 'silver bullet.' It does not and should not exist!
A superb introduction to both the why and how of preserving digital cultural heritage. The Theory and Craft of Digital Preservation highlights history and theory, explains technology, and then moves on to practice, offering clear advice backed by examples. This is an ideal text for anyone interested in archives in the digital era.
Digital preservation, unlike the one-time process for preserving print, is an ongoing, changing responsibility for those who bear the responsibility of preserving our history and cultural heritage. Trevor Owens, a leader in the field, uses his experience and deep knowledge to show how the tools of the futurist can document the past. His axioms for digital preservation will guide novices and experts alike.
Owens blends the perspectives of archivist and media archaeologist to provide a richly satisfying appraisal—at once historical synthesis, practical guide, and philosophical overview—of what digital preservation can be. Its standout feature is a wise, practical approach for guiding even the smallest institutions in using technology for the ‘craft’ of preservation.
Owens's book is a call to action. As he so eloquently points out, we are far past the time to begin putting actions behind our words when it comes to digital preservation. This book provides digital preservation practitioners with an up-to-date road map for thinking about, and more importantly, doing our work.
About
Book Details
Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
5.5
x 8.5
Pages
240
ISBN
9781421426976
Illustration Description
4 b&w illus.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction. Beyond Digital Hype and Digital Anxiety
Chapter 1. Preservation's Divergent Lineages
Chapter 2. Understanding Digital Objects
Chapter 3. Challenges and Opportunities of
Acknowledgments
Introduction. Beyond Digital Hype and Digital Anxiety
Chapter 1. Preservation's Divergent Lineages
Chapter 2. Understanding Digital Objects
Chapter 3. Challenges and Opportunities of Digital Preservation
Chapter 4. The Craft of Digital Preservation
Chapter 5. Preservation Intent and Collection Development
Chapter 6. Managing Copies and Formats
Chapter 7. Arranging and Describing Digital Objects
Chapter 8. Enabling Multimodal Access and Use
Chapter 9. Tools for Looking Forward
Notes
Bibliography
Index
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