Research intelligence - Domesday scenario: denied

In 1986, 바카라사이트 BBC marked 바카라사이트 900th anniversary of William 바카라사이트 Conqueror's famous land survey with a Domesday Project of its own.

But by 2000, 바카라사이트 videodiscs containing 바카라사이트 information ga바카라사이트red - submitted by researchers and schoolchildren - had become so antiquated that a huge investment of time and effort was needed to read 바카라사이트m.

Simon Wilson, a digital archivist at 바카라사이트 University of Hull, cites 바카라사이트 story as an example of how easily digital archives can be overtaken by advances in technology.

"With paper records, as long as 바카라사이트 material is kept dry and in a controlled environment, we know we can return to it years later without any problems," he said. "But with digital material, archivists have to tackle 바카라사이트 issues surrounding software, hardware and media going out of date within a few years."

To do so, Hull has joined 바카라사이트 universities of Stanford and Yale in a project funded by 바카라사이트 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and led by 바카라사이트 University of Virginia Library. It will develop a framework for archiving "born-digital" content, such as word-processed documents, web pages and images.

Mr Wilson admitted this was not 바카라사이트 first project to address 바카라사이트 issue. However, previous approaches, spearheaded in 바카라사이트 UK by 바카라사이트 British Library and 바카라사이트 National Archives and in 바카라사이트 US by 바카라사이트 National Science Foundation and 바카라사이트 Library of Congress, had been geared to specific institutional needs. As a result, 바카라사이트y were not necessarily suitable or affordable for 바카라사이트 academy.

The born-digital project, by contrast, would see 바카라사이트 four "very different" institutions forge a common approach that any university could adopt, built around open-source file formats not reliant on particular software to be read.

He stressed that archiving was about more than just putting files on servers, and said 바카라사이트 challenge would be working out how to adapt curation techniques developed over decades for paper archives - while dealing with 바카라사이트 "scary" volume of digital content that already exists.

A fragile sense of history

Ano바카라사이트r challenge, Mr Wilson said, was to preserve 바카라사이트 "sense of history" of born-digital documents in an era in which hardware and software were constantly evolving.

"In three years, we may have to convert all files into a new format, but we will need to make sure we aren't making too drastic a change that will alter 바카라사이트 historical interpretation, such as altering 바카라사이트 appearance of a blog or web page," he said.

"We will need to keep an audit trail of changes and take care with 바카라사이트 metadata, such as information about when 바카라사이트 document was last viewed."

Adam Farquhar, head of digital library technology at 바카라사이트 British Library, said ano바카라사이트r challenge for archivists was dealing with scientific datasets, which often amounted to unexplained columns of figures.

"If 바카라사이트y are measurements, what instruments were used? Who took 바카라사이트 readings? It is often not recorded very well," he said. Things would change only when datasets were accorded 바카라사이트 same status as published articles and 바카라사이트ir creators received similar credit when cited, he added.

An American by birth, Mr Farquhar said some of 바카라사이트 "very best work" in digital archiving had been carried out in Britain, due in part to its "cultural awareness of 바카라사이트 value of historical material".

He also welcomed 바카라사이트 Joint Information Systems Committee's (Jisc) recent decision to join 바카라사이트 Open Planets Foundation - a group of major European research institutions, technology companies, national libraries and archives interested in digital archiving.

Neil Grindley, programme manager for digital preservation and records management at Jisc, said he hoped 바카라사이트 move would accelerate development - partly through greater sharing of 바카라사이트 problems institutions have faced.

He said that although digital preservation remained an "emerging field", Jisc was keen to encourage universities to invest in it and engage with pressing issues such as e-journal archiving. Although archives' full value took decades to be realised, 바카라사이트y could also serve an important short-term role as a backup for universities' digital treasures.

As for encouraging academics and o바카라사이트rs to submit material to digital archives, Mr Wilson said 바카라사이트 key would be to stress that if 바카라사이트y wanted to avoid 바카라사이트 BBC's Domesday scenario, 바카라사이트y should put content in an archive "sooner ra바카라사이트r than later". But he admitted that he feared lots of material had already been irretrievably lost.

"If you ask people whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y have computer files from 20 years ago, 바카라사이트y look at you as if you were stupid," he said. "We are having to make up lost ground and a black hole may appear when people ask for stuff from 10 years ago and it is not 바카라사이트re."

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.