Introduction
Preserving content from a record keeping system is a complex and challenging process involving many stakeholders. Below is a series of steps that you will need to work through in order to carry out the task. Note that these steps are presented as a guide only and do not necessarily define a linear structure. Do work through them in an order that makes sense to you. There is inevitably some overlap between some of the initial steps which are focused on fact finding. These steps are designed to help you understand the challenge before moving towards a solution and in reality, some of these will run in parallel as you locate the right people to answer your questions and begin your investigations.
It should be noted that this is a complex process typically involving multiple stakeholders and different technologies. It may take a period of several years to move through this process towards a satisfactory preservation outcome. Use the points below to help you start to map out the process and put in place a plan to work through the issues. It is likely that some of the steps will need to be revisited more than once as the landscape changes. Records Management and digital preservation are ongoing tasks which are best implemented as part of an ongoing cycle of work.
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Understanding the problem - get a high level overview of the problem you are trying to solve.
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Gathering the right team - establish which people, both within and outside of your organization, you will need to talk to to move forward.
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Understanding the technical infrastructure - understand the system in which the records are currently stored and how it is maintained and supported.
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Understanding the records and the processes which created them - understand how the records have been created, managed and stored.
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Understanding the digital objects - understand the individual files or digital objects to be preserved.
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Understanding the metadata - understand the metadata that is associated with the records
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Assessing the risks - understand the risks of leaving records within the record keeping system.
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Selecting a preservation approach - decide on which preservation approach to take.
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Making the case - make the case to carry out preservation actions.
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Taking action - carry out the planned preservation work.
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Processing the lessons learned - consider how to share and act on any lessons learned.