Simon Wilson is Archives Consultant at Simon P. Wilson Consultancy
As an archives consultant I have the privilege of working with a wide range of organisations facing different challenges and opportunities. Much of this work tends to remain behind the scenes but I wanted to share a few reflections from current and recent client projects relating to the question of Why preserve?
Digital records: guidance for the voluntary sector
I have been working with colleagues from The National Archives to produce guidelines for the voluntary sector about digital records. This guidance will sit alongside a set of scenarios being developed by Kazky that will address specific questions that emerged from sector consultation and research. The two complimentary resources signpost further information, and allow users to choose how they wish to engage with the content.
The question Why managing your digital records is important forms a key part of the introduction to the topic; the guidelines and scenarios have no assumed prior knowledge and seek to highlight the value of information as a key asset and why backing-up data is not a digital preservation solution. The text is currently being peer-reviewed before being launched on The National Archives’ website in due course.
HEAP workshop
I will be supporting this event, for the Higher Education Archive Programme (HEAP), held at the University of Liverpool on World Digital Preservation Day itself, with an interactive session on advocating for digital support. “Why” is a fundamental consideration when you are looking to build your case - whether you are advocating to develop your personal digital skills, to increase team capacity to engage with digital collections or you are looking to procure a digital preservation system. The session will explore both ‘the message’ and ‘the messenger’ to identify how these factors contribute to the success (or not) of the advocacy.
Community groups
I am working with two community groups; an arts charity which specialises in theatre for social change and the other a locality-based group. For them the “why preserve” is almost taken for granted as it lies at the heart of their efforts to preserve their history and their heritage for current and future generations. The clarity of their vision means that discussions quickly progress to the more practical challenges of managing born-digital assets.
Digital appraisal
I am about to commerce a project with an archive service to produce some appraisal guidelines. The question of “why preserve” will feature prominently and one that needs to be considered from a range of perspectives. In putting the proposal together, I noticed how little public discussion there seems to be about the appraisal of digital records. This surprised me given the sheer quantity of assets is a key characteristic of digital archives compared to its analogue predecessors. If you have undertaken appraisal of digital materials in a business or organisational context - please do contact me as I would love to hear about your experiences.
Digital Preservation + Records Management
In recent years I have noticed that few clients only focus on the digital preservation side of the lifecycle. As the September DPC Clinic on Records Management and Digital Preservation highlighted, conversations about digital preservation often quickly broaden out to include records management issues and in particular retention schedules.
When talking about the organisation’s own records, the existence and implementation of the retention schedule is equally as important as having the technical infrastructure to manage born-digital records. Focussing exclusively on the former might lead to the transfer of digital content only to then be faced with no mechanisms to manage and provide access; focussing only on the technical solution runs the risk of a digital preservation system but no content to preserve and provide access to.
Simon Sinek’s Start with Why looks at leadership and purpose - it is also an excellent place to begin conversations about digital preservation.