The selection, appraisal and retention of digital scientific data: dighlights of an ERPANET/CODATA workshop

CODATA and ERPANET collaborated to convene an international archiving workshop on the selection, appraisal, and retention of digital scientific data, which was held on 15-17 December 2003 at the Biblioteca Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal. The workshop brought together more than 65 researchers, data and information managers, archivists, and librarians from 13 countries to discuss the issues involved in making critical decisions regarding the long-term preservation of the scientific record. One of the major aims for this workshop was to provide an international forum to exchange information about data archiving policies and practices across different scientific, institutional, and national contexts. Highlights from the workshop discussions are presented

Appraisal and the Future of Archives in the Digital Era

Discussion of the implications of new technologies, changing public policies, and transformation of culture for how archivists practice and think about appraisal

Appraising the Digital Past and Future

Archivists, and others working in the digital realm, need to reconsider archival appraisal approaches and concepts as a means of exercising rational and strategic control over what they select for digitization and select from the digital documentary universe. Control has been a defining aspect of the contemporary Information Age, and it is not something archivists and digital curators should shun. This paper briefly discusses the notion of archival appraisal and several contributions it might make to the digital curation schema

Working with Legacy Media: A Lone Arranger\u27s First Steps

[Excerpt] In 2013, a naked hard drive from Fiji arriving in my small religious archives (an equivalent full-time staff of 2.5 – one archivist and two archives’ assistants) started me off on the path of digital preservation and, in particular, the digital forensics practices that are beneficial for archivists. With such a small staff, outsourced IT services, and no digital preservation policy in sight, it was time to start exploring how institutions of my size could manage legacy media and start planning for the born-digital archives that will continue to arrive. Since I hold a part-time position, I was able to undertake this exploration in my own time through the support provided by a scholarship from the Ian McLean Wards Memorial Trust in 2015

Changing Trains at Wigan: Digital Preservation and the Future of Scholarship

This paper examines the impact of the emerging digital landscape on long term access to material created in digital form and its use for research; it examines challenges, risks and expectations.

Technology’s Promise, the Copying of Records, and the Archivist’s Challenge: A Case Study in Documentation Rhetoric

Discussion of implications of electrostatic photocopying on archival appraisal, with particular attention to the macro-appraisal and collaborative models offered by Helen Samuels

espida Bibliography

This is the bibliography pulled together during research for the espida Project

No file left behind: the predicament of archival appraising in the digital age

Technology is continually changing. New advancements in technology allow records creators to employ a plethora of different mediums. Records created born-digitally are entering the archives, and archivists are challenged in appraising records that may be available only on outdated or unreadable software or hardware platforms. This thesis examines key issues regarding working with, especially appraising, born-digital materials in archival collections. The archival profession confronts inadequate education on technological challenges, a need to reexamine archival theories and methodologies regarding appraisal, and a general terror when it comes to working with born-digital material. Through use of interviews, this thesis explores the practical side of appraisal through a discourse on what current archivists are working on, their methodologies, and their advice and recommendations for those just starting to work on born-digital material. The thesis argues that even the smallest steps to address challenges with working with born-digital material mark a step in the right direction

Should We Keep Everything Forever? Determining Long-Term Value of Research Data

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's library-based Research Data Service (RDS) launched an institutional data repository called the Illinois Data Bank (IDB) in May 2016. The RDS makes a commitment to preserving and facilitating access to published research datasets for a minimum of five years after the date of publication in the Illinois Data Bank. The RDS has developed guidelines and processes for reviewing published datasets after their five-year commitment ends to determine whether to retain, deaccession, or dedicate more stewardship resources to datasets. In this poster, we will describe how the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign preservation review planning team drew upon appraisal and reappraisal theory and practices from the archives community to develop preservation review processes and guidelines for datasets published in the Illinois Data Bank.Ope