DPC

Interpreting and Using The BitList

What is the Bit List

The Global Bit List of Endangered Digital Species (Bit List) is first and foremost an advocacy tool.

The Bit List describes a range of digital materials in varied organizational settings which, in the experience of the global digital preservation community, face distinct and imminent challenges. These challenges may be as much to do with accountability, policy or business process as technological obsolescence or media decay.

By identifying these challenges and by providing elementary recommendations about how the risks can be tackled, the DPC seeks to provide impartial evidence and international support to specific preservation actions and policies in any context.

How are the entries contributed and verified?

Entries to the Bit List are nominated by the community, who are at the forefront of digital preservation efforts, and reviewed by international organizations which represent global expertise in the preservation of the listed digital species.

Although all digital materials can fall within the scope of the list, the published editions of the Bit List are not a complete account of all digital materials at risk— only those items which members of the community recognize as being at risk are included.

Consequently, the absence of a digital material on the list should not be taken as evidence that it is not at risk, but instead simply that the community which has compiled the list has not encountered any explicit risks or has no experience with these materials.

Once nominations have been collected and collated, the Bit List Council—comprising experts which represent global expertise in the preservation of the listed digital species—evaluate the entries before recommending their final list. The new, updated list is published on World Digital Preservation Day, providing digital preservationists around the globe with an updated advocacy tool on a day designed to draw attention to this real and current challenge.

The Bit List offers a provisional commentary with the recognition that the extent of the digital domain, the complexity of the threats, and the sophistication of emerging solutions mean that no process could ever fully capture the risks and challenges faced by digital content around the world. It is published and reviewed with the understanding that new risks are continuously arising; every day and (inevitably) between editions of the Bit List.

How to read and use the Bit List

By providing real, illustrative examples of at-risk digital materials alongside their identified aggravating risk factors and recommendations for practical action, users of the Bit List may present the information to support their own advocacy activities and to make a strong independently verified case for digital preservation action.

Entries on the Bit List are presented in a published report and are also available online. Entries are grouped both by risk ‘classification’ and digital ‘species’, allowing users to approach and navigate the list either way.

Entry Descriptions and Examples

Each entry on the list is given a short title and a longer description. It is described in general terms, then a series of examples are provided. These examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; they can include cases where entries are broadly defined or offer specific instances or items.

Users of the Bit List are encouraged to identify and assess their own examples of digital materials at risk—to determine whether a digital object currently in their possession, or for which they have a current or imminent preservation responsibility, fits or aligns with the examples provided on the list.

Aggravating Conditions and Good Practice

Each item includes examples of Aggravating Conditions which amplify the risks a digital object faces, and Good Practice that would reduce the risk. These are also implied recommendations for addressing and reducing risks to be followed in the timescale indicated. In most cases, a fuller assessment is also suggested. By implication, the actions that would arise from such an assessment are not likely to be trivial.

Recognizing that entries are very broadly defined, digital materials can be at more or less risk depending on local circumstances. There is a greater risk, and therefore greater urgency to act, in the presence of aggravating conditions which can be delineated. So, while an entry may be classified as Vulnerable in generic terms, any example of that entry may reasonably be described as Endangered or Critically Endangered in the presence of aggravating conditions. Conversely, in the presence of good practice, specific digital materials may be designated as Endangered to Vulnerable or Lower Risk.

Contribute to the Bit List and support digital preservation globally

The greater the level of community input to the Bit List, the better our view of at-risk digital materials around the world, and the stronger our case for digital preservation.

The Bit List is designed to be collaborative, iterative and provisional and the current call for nominations to the 2023 Bit List is now open!

If readers of the Bit List are aware of significant digital collections that are at material risk but do not match up with any of the broad examples given, they are encouraged to draw these to the attention of the Bit List Council either through the current call for nominations, or directly through the DPC’s Head of Advocacy and Community Engagement. These will be reviewed in time for publication of the next scheduled comprehensive review and revision for November 2023.

Where digital materials face an imminent extinction event before that, their evaluation may be accelerated, and an addendum published to the Bit List in order to provide the timely, impartial and expert advocacy that may be required.

Corrections, comments and nominations are welcome now!

 

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Reputation

Any factor relating to the good name or standing of an organization. Incorporates branding: the extent to which consumers are familiar with the qualities or image of an organizational brand. Being able to access corporate history in digital form, in a timely fashion, can support this.

What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?

Organization Type Risk Potential Consequences

All organizations

Data safety and security are compromised.

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Confidence loss
  • Damage to reputation
  • Loss/reduction in funding/revenue
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Archives

Executive level support for digital preservation is not persistent

  • Unable to establish a sustainable, fit for purpose digital preservation programme
  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Archives

Failure to engage with stakeholders at all stages of the record life-cycle

  • Lack of support for digital preservation work
  • System/procedures do not support user needs
  • Do not capture necessary documentation
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects in a useable format

Archives

Failure to maintain preservation system and processes.

  • Preservation system/processes become redundant/ineffectual
  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • High cost of replacing/extracting data from outdated systems

Business

Existing storage systems do not protect records from unauthorized change or corruption

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Confidence loss
  • Damage to reputation
  • Loss/reduction in funding/revenue
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Business

Staff fail to comply with organizational policy and processes in relation to management of records (reliability, authenticity, usability etc.),

  • Important digital objects not captured in preservation system
  • Necessary documentation/metadata not created/captured
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Business

Inability to provide evidence of compliance with regulations

  • Loss of reputation and stakeholder confidence
  • Fines/sanctions

Business

Loss of corporate memory

  • Unable to rely on past evidence to inform current decision-making
  • Insufficient resources to support branding and marketing

Business

Inability to reuse valuable information

  • Unable to provide access to information required to support business processes
  • Loss of productivity/revenue
  • Limits innovation
  • Fall behind market/competitors

Business

Volume of data continues to grow without action being taken

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of business’s functions
  • Increased costs now and in the future
  • Loss of productivity/revenue

Higher Education and Research

Research data not transferred to the relevant repository for preservation

  • Data loss
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Research repeated unnecessarily

Higher Education and Research

Data from an experiment that cannot be repeated is not preserved

  • Data loss
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Field of research is set back/compromised
  • Loss of reputation

Higher Education and Research

Data is inaccessible due to lack of preservation

  • Inability to answer crucial research questions
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Field of research is set back/compromised
  • Loss of scientific legacy and the associated research opportunities
  • Research repeated unnecessarily
  • Loss of potential opportunities for collaboration
  • Loss of reputation

Higher Education and Research

Litigation from consumers if data made available is not reliable and trustworthy

  • Requirement to pay fines/settlements/compensation
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Field of research is set back/compromised
  • Loss of reputation

Libraries

Storage conditions are inadequate for preservation

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of organisation’s functions
  • Confidence loss
  • Damage to reputation

Libraries

No active program/processes aimed at acquiring digital objects/collections

  • Data generated by the cultural and creative industries will be lost or inaccessible
  • Failure to protect the living national record
  • Primary sources for future research cannot be found, interpreted or re-used
  • Failure to meet organisational goals
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Libraries

Organization does not move important digital/digitized objects into a preservation system

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Libraries

Do not adequately consider the preservation needs of complex digital objects, including new publication formats

  • Data generated by the cultural and creative industries will be lost or inaccessible
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Museums and Galleries

Preservation processes do not adequately consider rendering and display.

  • Unable to correctly render files as originally intended
  • Additional work required to address issues, including consultation with experts/the artist
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Museums and Galleries

Digital objects/collections are not captured in a suitable preservation system

  • Digital objects are unusable and un-displayable
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Museums and Galleries

Absence of appropriately skilled and invested people responsible for digital preservation

  • Incorrect/inadequate preservation
  • Preservation does not occur
  • Loss of ability to access/render digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Museums and Galleries

Absence of a documented workflow for the creation/acquisition and then maintenance of digital files

  • Incorrect/inadequate preservation
  • Preservation does not occur
  • Loss of ability to access/render digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create? 

Organization Type

Digital Preservation can…

All organizations

demonstrate a commitment to transparency and accountability by sustaining an accurate digital record

All organizations

an investment in distinctiveness, competence and competitiveness by providing access to legacy data and digital systems which are essential for innovation, research, development

Business

inspire brand evolution through an understanding of corporate history enabled by access to a complete set of reliable records

Higher Education and Research

demonstrate compliance with institutional and funder policies on data management policies 

Higher Education and Research

provide opportunities for raising funds through the reuse of existing data

Higher Education and Research

generate income and new service models through the reuse of existing data

Higher Education and Research

provide opportunities for the reuse of historical research data for purposes not originally anticipated

Higher Education and Research

increase the potential for the re-use of digital material though established IPR

Higher Education and Research

inspire the trust and understanding of future users, by providing a complete digital record

Libraries

earn the trust of the public through sustained access to documentary heritage which guarantees the integrity of digital holdings

Museums and Galleries

enable tracking of unauthorized changes, copies and access leading to greater trust and assurance

Museums and Galleries

enable robust and trusted iterations and audit trails, review and update to remain in line with the latest standards and best practices, safeguarding organizational reputation.

Museums and Galleries

maintain the cultural and monetary value of the collection, by sustaining access to it

Museums and Galleries

be an investment in a high-quality service which enhances audience experience

Read More

Revenue

Any factor relating to organizational income or earnings.

What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?

Organization type

Risk

Potential Consequences

All organizations

Data safety and security are compromised.

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Confidence loss
  • Damage to reputation
  • Loss/reduction in funding/revenue
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Insufficient funding available to allow sustainable preservation procedures and systems to be established.

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to carry out necessary preservation actions
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Archives

Executive level support for digital preservation is not persistent

  • Unable to establish a sustainable, fit for purpose digital preservation programme
  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Business

Existing storage systems do not protect records from unauthorized change or corruption

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Confidence loss
  • Damage to reputation
  • Loss/reduction in funding/revenue
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Business

Loss of corporate memory

  • Unable to rely on past evidence to inform current decision-making
  • Insufficient resources to support branding and marketing

Business

The archive team do not have the tools required for effective search and retrieval of digital holdings

  • Unable to provide access to information required to support business processes
  • Loss of productivity/revenue

Business

Inability to reuse valuable information

  • Unable to provide access to information required to support business processes
  • Loss of productivity/revenue
  • Limits innovation
  • Fall behind market/competitors

Higher Education and Research

Data is inaccessible due to lack of preservation

  • Inability to answer crucial research questions
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Field of research is set back/compromised
  • Loss of scientific legacy and the associated research opportunities
  • Research repeated unnecessarily
  • Loss of potential opportunities for collaboration
  • Loss of reputation

Higher Education and Research

Data rendered usable through a lack of proactive use, updates, and checking

  • Inability to answer crucial research questions
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Field of research is set back/compromised
  • Loss of scientific legacy and the associated research opportunities
  • Loss of potential opportunities for collaboration

Libraries

No active program /processes aimed at acquiring digital objects/collections

  • Data generated by the cultural and creative industries will be lost or inaccessible
  • Failure to protect the living national record
  • Primary sources for future research cannot be found, interpreted or re-used
  • Failure to meet organisational goals
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Libraries

Organization does not move important digital/digitized objects into a preservation system

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Libraries

Do not adequately consider the preservation needs of complex digital objects, including new publication formats

  • Data generated by the cultural and creative industries will be lost or inaccessible
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Museums and Galleries

Preservation processes do not adequately consider rendering and display.

  • Unable to correctly render files as originally intended
  • Additional work required to address issues, including consultation with experts/the artist
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Museums and Galleries

Digital objects/collections are not captured in a suitable preservation system

  • Digital objects are unusable and un-displayable
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Museums and Galleries

Absence of appropriately skilled and invested people responsible for digital preservation

  • Incorrect/inadequate preservation
  • Preservation does not occur
  • Loss of ability to access/render digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Museums and Galleries

Absence of a documented workflow for the creation/acquisition and then maintenance of digital files

  • Incorrect/inadequate preservation
  • Preservation does not occur
  • Loss of ability to access/render digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create? 

Organization Type

Digital Preservation can…

All organizations

capture potential by providing greater scope for innovation and reuse of data

All organizations

transmit opportunities to future generations by ensuring the right data is available to the right people at the right time in the right format, for as long as necessary

Higher Education and Research

provide opportunities for raising funds through the reuse of existing data

Higher Education and Research

generate income and new service models through the reuse of existing data

Higher Education and Research

increase the potential for the re-use of digital material though established IPR

Libraries

create greater scope for innovation and reuse by using cultural and creative data at scale

Libraries

maintain access to digital outputs of cultural and creative industries which are essential for innovation, research, development

Libraries

transmit opportunities to future generations by ensuring the right cultural and creative data is available to the right people at the right time in the right format, for as long as necessary

Museums and Galleries

create efficiencies in workflow and processes, as well as potentially creating income through data re-use

Read More

Security

Any factor relating to the safety, security and integrity of the digital materials and the systems and architecture used to preserve them.

What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?

Organization Type Risk Potential Consequences

All organizations

Data safety and security are compromised.

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Confidence loss
  • Damage to reputation
  • Loss/reduction in funding/revenue
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Rate of data creation outstrips capacity for storage, processing and preservation.

  • Important digital objects are not captured within the preservation system
  • Data loss/corruption

Business

Existing storage systems do not protect records from unauthorized change or corruption

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Confidence loss
  • Damage to reputation
  • Loss/reduction in funding/revenue
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Business

Volume of data continues to grow without action being taken

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of business’s functions
  • Increased costs now and in the future
  • Loss of productivity/revenue

What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create? 

Organization type

Digital Preservation can…

All organizations

provide cost efficiencies through the greater automation of processes

Museums and Galleries

enable tracking of unauthorized changes, copies and access leading to greater trust and assurance

Read More

Technology

Any factor relating to the integrity and operation of the systems, storage, hardware or software required to preserve digital materials.

What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials? 

Organization Type

Risk

Potential Consequences

All organizations

Technologies used become obsolete; this may apply to elements such as hardware, software and file formats.

  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Required to maintain expensive legacy systems
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Unable to provide audit trails
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Rate of data creation outstrips capacity for storage, processing and preservation.

  • Important digital objects are not captured within the preservation system
  • Data loss/corruption

All organizations

Insufficient funding available to allow sustainable preservation procedures and systems to be established.

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to carry out necessary preservation actions
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Archives

Failure to maintain preservation system and processes.

  • Preservation system/processes become redundant/ineffectual
  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • High cost of replacing/extracting data from outdated systems

Higher Education and Research

The hardware or software required to interpret, and present digital information is no longer available

  • Unable to provide access to information required to support organizational processes
  • Disruption of organization’s functions
  • Increased costs now and in the future

Libraries

Storage conditions are inadequate for preservation

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of organisation’s functions
  • Confidence loss
  • Damage to reputation

Libraries

Do not adequately consider the preservation needs of complex digital objects, including new publication formats

  • Data generated by the cultural and creative industries will be lost or inaccessible
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create?  

Organization Type

Digital Preservation can…

All organizations

provide efficiencies of scale through shared services, resources and systems

All organizations

provide cost efficiencies through planned disposal and deletion which results in reduced storage requirements

All organizations

provide cost and operational efficiencies by allowing the consolidation of legacy systems

All organizations

provide cost efficiencies through the greater automation of processes

Business

provide cost efficiencies through planned disposal and deletion according to specified retention schedules, which results in reduced storage requirements

Higher Education and Research

create a pathway for smaller organizations to take advantage of enterprise level infrastructure through shared or cloud services

Higher Education and Research

reduce duplication of infrastructure and effort by sharing services, systems and storage with other institutions

Higher Education and Research

make the right information is available at the right time, by using the most appropriate service

Higher Education and Research

avoid wasted expenditure and reduce long-term operational costs by considering access and reuse at the stage of data generation, creation and system design.

Higher Education and Research

enable informed and planned disposal as well as retention which mitigates the continuous increase in the volume of time-series data, as well as the cost of managing it

Museums and Galleries

cut the costs of viewing rooms open to the public by moving some collections into deep storage

Read More

Enabling Research

The ability of an organisation to facilitate and provide the necessary resources to enable research.

What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?

Organization Type Risk Potential Consequences

All organizations

Technologies used become obsolete; this may apply to elements such as hardware, software and file formats.

  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Required to maintain expensive legacy systems
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Unable to provide audit trails
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

The bits and bytes making up the digital information degrade over time.

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Insufficient contextual information (metadata) to understand the information and for it to be useful.

  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Disruption of business/organization’s functions
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Lack of supporting legislation to facilitate preservation, particularly relating to copyright/IPR, privacy and legal deposit.

  • Unable to carry out necessary preservation actions
  • Data loss
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Rate of data creation outstrips capacity for storage, processing and preservation.

  • Important digital objects are not captured within the preservation system
  • Data loss/corruption

All organizations

Insufficient staffing/skills to be able to carry out successful preservation.

  • Unable to carry out necessary preservation actions
  • Data loss
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Archives

Executive level support for digital preservation is not persistent

  • Unable to establish a sustainable, fit for purpose digital preservation programme
  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Archives

Failure to engage with stakeholders at all stages of the record life-cycle

  • Lack of support for digital preservation work
  • System/procedures do not support user needs
  • Do not capture necessary documentation
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects in a useable format

Higher Education and Research

Unable to fully capture and represent current events for future generations

  • Incomplete historical record
  • Future research flawed/unreliable/biased

Higher Education and Research

The hardware or software required to interpret, and present digital information is no longer available

  • Unable to provide access to information required to support organizational processes
  • Disruption of organization’s functions
  • Increased costs now and in the future

Higher Education and Research

Research data not transferred to the relevant repository for preservation

  • Data loss
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Research repeated unnecessarily

Higher Education and Research

No active preservation carried out on data

  • Expensive procedures required to access legacy data
  • Lack of documentation

Higher Education and Research

Data from an experiment that cannot be repeated is not preserved

  • Data loss
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Field of research is set back/compromised
  • Loss of reputation

Higher Education and Research

Data is inaccessible due to lack of preservation

  • Inability to answer crucial research questions
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Field of research is set back/compromised
  • Loss of scientific legacy and the associated research opportunities
  • Research repeated unnecessarily
  • Loss of potential opportunities for collaboration
  • Loss of reputation

Higher Education and Research

Data is not preserved with sufficient context, identifiers and documentation

  • Unique scientific datasets unknown and potential unrecognised questions
  • Field of research is set back/compromised

Higher Education and Research

Data rendered usable through a lack of proactive use, updates, and checking

  • Inability to answer crucial research questions
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Field of research is set back/compromised
  • Loss of scientific legacy and the associated research opportunities
  • Loss of potential opportunities for collaboration

Libraries

Storage conditions are inadequate for preservation

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of organisation’s functions
  • Confidence loss
  • Damage to reputation

Libraries

Preservation not carried out in a timely manner

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Costly interventions require to restore access

Libraries

No active programme/processes aimed at acquiring digital objects/collections

  • Data generated by the cultural and creative industries will be lost or inaccessible
  • Failure to protect the living national record
  • Primary sources for future research cannot be found, interpreted or re-used
  • Failure to meet organisational goals
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Libraries

Organisation does not move important digital/digitized objects into a preservation system

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create? 

Organization type

Digital Preservation can…

All organizations

an investment in distinctiveness, competence and competitiveness by providing access to legacy data and digital systems which are essential for innovation, research, development

All organizations  

capture potential by providing greater scope for innovation and reuse of data

Archives

make available a dynamic, powerful information asset which represents an accurate social and cultural record

Business

inform business initiatives today through an understanding of previous decisions and rationale enabled by access to a complete set of reliable records

Higher Education and Research

provide opportunities for raising funds through the reuse of existing data

Higher Education and Research

generate income and new service models through the reuse of existing data

Higher Education and Research

provide opportunities for the reuse of historical research data for purposes not originally anticipated

Higher Education and Research

increase the potential for the re-use of digital material though established IPR

Libraries

help ensure that cultural and creative data, including the outputs of industry remains accessible, reusable and understandable

Libraries

create greater scope for innovation and reuse by using cultural and creative data at scale

Libraries

maintain access to digital outputs of cultural and creative industries which are essential for innovation, research, development

Read More

Costs

Any factor relating to organizational expenditure or financial penalties.

What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?

Organization Type

Risk

Potential Consequences

All organizations

Technologies used become obsolete; this may apply to elements such as hardware, software and file formats.

  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Required to maintain expensive legacy systems
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Unable to provide audit trails
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Insufficient funding available to allow sustainable preservation procedures and systems to be established.

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to carry out necessary preservation actions
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Insufficient staffing/skills to be able to carry out successful preservation.

  • Unable to carry out necessary preservation actions
  • Data loss
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Archives

Lack of collaboration behind different departments/areas of the organization

  • Unable to establish a sustainable, fit for purpose digital preservation programme
  • Efforts duplicated in different departments/areas
  • Inefficient use of resources

Archives

Failure to maintain preservation system and processes.

  • Preservation system/processes become redundant/ineffectual
  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • High cost of replacing/extracting data from outdated systems

Business

Staff fail to comply with organizational policy and processes in relation to management of records (reliability, authenticity, usability etc.),

  • Important digital objects not captured in preservation system
  • Necessary documentation/metadata not created/captured
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Business

Inability to provide evidence of compliance with regulations

  • Loss of reputation and stakeholder confidence
  • Fines/sanctions

Business

Business processes rely on file formats and storage media that are becoming obsolete

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of business’s functions
  • Increased costs

Business

Inability to produce reliable and authentic records necessary to pursue or defend legal claims

  • Undermines ability to reach resolution
  • Unsatisfactory or expensive settlements

Business

The archive team do not have the tools required for effective search and retrieval of digital holdings

  • Unable to provide access to information required to support business processes
  • Loss of productivity/revenue

Business

Inability to reuse valuable information

  • Unable to provide access to information required to support business processes
  • Loss of productivity/revenue
  • Limits innovation
  • Fall behind market/competitors

Business

Volume of data continues to grow without action being taken

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of business’s functions
  • Increased costs now and in the future
  • Loss of productivity/revenue

Higher Education and Research

The hardware or software required to interpret, and present digital information is no longer available

  • Unable to provide access to information required to support organizational processes
  • Disruption of organization’s functions
  • Increased costs now and in the future

Higher Education and Research

Research data not transferred to the relevant repository for preservation

  • Data loss
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Research repeated unnecessarily

Higher Education and Research

Lack of vendor accountability

  • Unable to place trust in services provided
  • Services not fit for purpose
  • Poor customer service
  • Unable to plan for succession

Higher Education and Research

No active preservation carried out on data

  • Expensive procedures required to access legacy data
  • Lack of documentation

Higher Education and Research

Data is inaccessible due to lack of preservation

  • Inability to answer crucial research questions
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Field of research is set back/compromised
  • Loss of scientific legacy and the associated research opportunities
  • Research repeated unnecessarily
  • Loss of potential opportunities for collaboration
  • Loss of reputation

Higher Education and Research

Litigation from consumers if data made available is not reliable and trustworthy

  • Requirement to pay fines/settlements/compensation
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Field of research is set back/compromised
  • Loss of reputation

Libraries

Preservation not carried out in a timely manner

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Costly interventions require to restore access

Museums and Galleries

Preservation processes do not adequately consider rendering and display.

  • Unable to correctly render files as originally intended
  • Additional work required to address issues, including consultation with experts/the artist
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Museums and Galleries

Absence of appropriately skilled and invested people responsible for digital preservation

  • Incorrect/inadequate preservation
  • Preservation does not occur
  • Loss of ability to access/render digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Museums and Galleries

Absence of a documented workflow for the creation/acquisition and then maintenance of digital files

  • Incorrect/inadequate preservation
  • Preservation does not occur
  • Loss of ability to access/render digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create? 

Organization Type

Digital Preservation can…

All organizations

protect investment by maintaining clear audit trails

All organizations

provide efficiencies of scale through shared services, resources and systems

All organizations

provide cost efficiencies through planned disposal and deletion which results in reduced storage requirements

All organizations

provide cost and operational efficiencies by allowing the consolidation of legacy systems

All organizations

provide cost efficiencies through the greater automation of processes

Business

protect against financial losses by enabling the provision of evidence for legal and regulatory cases

Business

provide cost efficiencies through planned disposal and deletion according to specified retention schedules, which results in reduced storage requirements

Higher Education and Research

demonstrate, to funders, a commitment to the sustainability of their investment and the cultural record

Higher Education and Research

create a pathway for smaller organizations to take advantage of enterprise level infrastructure through shared or cloud services

Higher Education and Research

reduce duplication of infrastructure and effort by sharing services, systems and storage with other institutions

Higher Education and Research

demonstrate long term vision and planning

Higher Education and Research

save on storage costs by enabling documented appraisal, disposal and deletion procedures

Higher Education and Research

avoid wasted expenditure and reduce long-term operational costs by considering access and reuse at the stage of data generation, creation and system design.

Higher Education and Research

enable informed and planned disposal as well as retention which mitigates the continuous increase in the volume of time-series data, as well as the cost of managing it

Higher Education and Research

remove the need for expensive and time-consuming data rescue and digital archaeology work on legacy data through appropriate planning and initial investment

Museums and Galleries

prevent interruptions to service and loss of earnings through resilient processes and sustained access to information which enable hardware and software updates, upgrades, obsolescence, failures and stoppages

Museums and Galleries

cut the costs of viewing rooms open to the public by moving some collections into deep storage

Read More

Corporate / Cultural Memory

The accumulated body of data, information, and knowledge created in the course of an individual organization's existence or throughout the course of history.

What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?

Organization Type Risk Potential Consequences

All organizations

Technologies used become obsolete; this may apply to elements such as hardware, software and file formats.

  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Required to maintain expensive legacy systems
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Unable to provide audit trails
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

The bits and bytes making up the digital information degrade over time.

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Insufficient contextual information (metadata) to understand the information and for it to be useful.

  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Disruption of business/organization’s functions
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Lack of supporting legislation to facilitate preservation, particularly relating to copyright/IPR, privacy and legal deposit.

  • Unable to carry out necessary preservation actions
  • Data loss
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Rate of data creation outstrips capacity for storage, processing and preservation.

  • Important digital objects are not captured within the preservation system
  • Data loss/corruption

All organizations

Insufficient staffing/skills to be able to carry out successful preservation.

  • Unable to carry out necessary preservation actions
  • Data loss
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Archives

Executive level support for digital preservation is not persistent

  • Unable to establish a sustainable, fit for purpose digital preservation programme
  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Archives

Failure to engage with stakeholders at all stages of the record life-cycle

  • Lack of support for digital preservation work
  • System/procedures do not support user needs
  • Do not capture necessary documentation
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects in a useable format

Business

Loss of corporate memory

  • Unable to rely on past evidence to inform current decision-making
  • Insufficient resources to support branding and marketing

Higher Education and Research

Unable to fully capture and represent current events for future generations

  • Incomplete historical record
  • Future research flawed/unreliable/biased

Libraries

Storage conditions are inadequate for preservation

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of organisation’s functions
  • Confidence loss
  • Damage to reputation

Libraries

Preservation not carried out in a timely manner

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Costly interventions require to restore access

Libraries

No active programme/processes aimed at acquiring digital objects/collections

  • Data generated by the cultural and creative industries will be lost or inaccessible
  • Failure to protect the living national record
  • Primary sources for future research cannot be found, interpreted or re-used
  • Failure to meet organisational goals
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Libraries

Organisation does not move important digital/digitized objects into a preservation system

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Libraries

Do not adequately consider the preservation needs of complex digital objects, including new publication formats

  • Data generated by the cultural and creative industries will be lost or inaccessible
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Museums and Galleries

Digital objects/collections are not captured in a suitable preservation system

  • Digital objects are unusable and un-displayable
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Museums and Galleries

Absence of appropriately skilled and invested people responsible for digital preservation

  • Incorrect/inadequate preservation
  • Preservation does not occur
  • Loss of ability to access/render digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

Museums and Galleries

Absence of a documented workflow for the creation/acquisition and then maintenance of digital files

  • Incorrect/inadequate preservation
  • Preservation does not occur
  • Loss of ability to access/render digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create? 

Organization Type

Digital Preservation can…

All organizations

demonstrate a commitment to transparency and accountability by sustaining an accurate digital record

All organizations

transmit opportunities to future generations by ensuring the right data is available to the right people at the right time in the right format, for as long as necessary

Archives

make available a dynamic, powerful information asset which represents an accurate social and cultural record

Business

inspire brand evolution through an understanding of corporate history enabled by access to a complete set of reliable records

Business

inform business initiatives today through an understanding of previous decisions and rationale enabled by access to a complete set of reliable records

Business

add value and create opportunities for the business by leveraging corporate memory as an asset

Higher Education and Research

demonstrate, to funders, a commitment to the sustainability of their investment and the cultural record

Higher Education and Research

provide opportunities for the reuse of historical research data for purposes not originally anticipated

Higher Education and Research

make the right information is available at the right time, by using the most appropriate service

Higher Education and Research

inform and educate the public by enabling access to diverse digital data and records

Higher Education and Research

demonstrate, to the public purse, a commitment to maintaining the sustainability of the cultural record

Higher Education and Research

inspire the trust and understanding of future users, by providing a complete digital record

Libraries

help retain the archival and historical value of rich and diverse collections, ensuring they continue to be accessible for the long-term

Libraries

demonstrate a commitment to delivering on a public mandate, for present and future generations

Libraries

maintain access to strategically important assets

Libraries

help ensure that cultural and creative data, including the outputs of industry remains accessible, reusable and understandable

Libraries

create greater scope for innovation and reuse by using cultural and creative data at scale

Libraries

maintain access to digital outputs of cultural and creative industries which are essential for innovation, research, development

Libraries

transmit opportunities to future generations by ensuring the right cultural and creative data is available to the right people at the right time in the right format, for as long as necessary

Museums and Galleries

demonstrate the fulfilment of a legal obligation to display and therefore preserve collection objects in perpetuity

MMuseums and Galleries

maintain the cultural and monetary value of the collection, by sustaining access to it

Museums and Galleries

help visitors to gain a deeper understanding of our cultural heritage creating new learning experiences with existing data

Museums and Galleries

reach new audiences by creating new learning experiences with existing data

Museums and Galleries

ensure the collection remains relevant and accessible to generations to come by creating digital copies

Read More

Compliance

Adherence to laws, regulations, guidelines and specifications relevant to an organization’s business processes and operational area.

What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?

Organization Type

Risk

Potential Consequences

All organizations

Data safety and security are compromised.

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Confidence loss
  • Damage to reputation
  • Loss/reduction in funding/revenue
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Technologies used become obsolete; this may apply to elements such as hardware, software and file formats.

  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Required to maintain expensive legacy systems
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Unable to provide audit trails
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

The bits and bytes making up the digital information degrade over time.

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Insufficient contextual information (metadata) to understand the information and for it to be useful.

  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Disruption of business/organization’s functions
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Lack of supporting legislation to facilitate preservation, particularly relating to copyright/IPR, privacy and legal deposit.

  • Unable to carry out necessary preservation actions
  • Data loss
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Rate of data creation outstrips capacity for storage, processing and preservation.

  • Important digital objects are not captured within the preservation system
  • Data loss/corruption

All organizations

Insufficient funding available to allow sustainable preservation procedures and systems to be established.

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to carry out necessary preservation actions
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Insufficient staffing/skills to be able to carry out successful preservation.

  • Unable to carry out necessary preservation actions
  • Data loss
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Archives

Executive level support for digital preservation is not persistent

  • Unable to establish a sustainable, fit for purpose digital preservation programme
  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Business

Existing storage systems do not protect records from unauthorised change or corruption

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Confidence loss
  • Damage to reputation
  • Loss/reduction in funding/revenue
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Business

Staff fail to comply with organizational policy and processes in relation to management of records (reliability, authenticity, usability etc.),

  • Important digital objects not captured in preservation system
  • Necessary documentation/metadata not created/captured
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Business

Inability to provide evidence of compliance with regulations

  • Loss of reputation and stakeholder confidence
  • Fines/sanctions

Business

Inability to produce reliable and authentic records necessary to pursue or defend legal claims

  • Undermines ability to reach resolution
  • Unsatisfactory or expensive settlements

Business

Volume of data continues to grow without action being taken

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of business’s functions
  • Increased costs now and in the future
  • Loss of productivity/revenue

Higher Education and Research

Litigation from consumers if data made available is not reliable and trustworthy

  • Requirement to pay fines/settlements/compensation
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Field of research is set back/compromised
  • Loss of reputation

Libraries

No active programme/processes aimed at acquiring digital objects/collections

  • Data generated by the cultural and creative industries will be lost or inaccessible
  • Failure to protect the living national record
  • Primary sources for future research cannot be found, interpreted or re-used
  • Failure to meet organisational goals
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create? 

Organization Type

Digital Preservation can…

All organizations

protect investment by maintaining clear audit trails

Archives

hold governments to account by maintaining a clear and permanent audit trail

Archives

demonstrate a commitment to core statutory function for collection, for present and future generations

Business

enable better cooperation with regulatory bodies by sustaining access to reliable records as evidence of actions.

Business

allow an organization to defend decisions and attribute responsibility by sustaining access to reliable records as evidence of actions for legal, regulatory and IPR cases

Business

enable the organization to respond more efficiently to legal holds by sustaining access to reliable records

Business

protect against financial losses by enabling the provision of evidence for legal and regulatory cases

Higher Education and Research

demonstrate compliance with institutional and funder policies on data management policies 

Higher Education and Research

demonstrate long term vision and planning

Higher Education and Research

demonstrate greater transparency through documented audit trails

Libraries

demonstrate that the organization is meeting its obligations and mandate through documentary evidence of compliance to legislation

Museums and Galleries

enable robust and trusted iterations and audit trails, review and update to remain in line with the latest standards and best practices, safeguarding organizational reputation.

Read More

Business Continuity

The ability of an organization to continue to function with as little disruption as possible, even in abnormal circumstances. Incorporates any factor relating to the organization’s core mandate and everything required to deliver this, including the environmental, hierarchical and political factors and policies, along with human and individual characteristics, which influence the culture within an organization.

What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?

Organization Type Risk Potential Consequences

All organizations

Data safety and security are compromised.

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Confidence loss
  • Damage to reputation
  • Loss/reduction in funding/revenue
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Insufficient contextual information (metadata) to understand the information and for it to be useful.

  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Disruption of business/organization’s functions
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Lack of supporting legislation to facilitate preservation, particularly relating to copyright/IPR, privacy and legal deposit.

  • Unable to carry out necessary preservation actions
  • Data loss
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Rate of data creation outstrips capacity for storage, processing and preservation.

  • Important digital objects are not captured within the preservation system
  • Data loss/corruption

All organizations

Insufficient funding available to allow sustainable preservation procedures and systems to be established.

  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to carry out necessary preservation actions
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

All organizations

Insufficient staffing/skills to be able to carry out successful preservation.

  • Unable to carry out necessary preservation actions
  • Data loss
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

Archives

Lack of collaboration behind different departments/areas of the organization

  • Unable to establish a sustainable, fit for purpose digital preservation programme
  • Efforts duplicated in different departments/areas
  • Inefficient use of resources

Archives

Executive level support for digital preservation is not persistent

  • Unable to establish a sustainable, fit for purpose digital preservation programme
  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements

What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create? 

Organization Type

Digital Preservation can…

All organizations

transmit opportunities to future generations by ensuring the right data is available to the right people at the right time in the right format, for as long as necessary

All organizations

provide efficiencies of scale through shared services, resources and systems

All organizations

provide cost efficiencies through planned disposal and deletion which results in reduced storage requirements

All organizations

provide cost and operational efficiencies by allowing the consolidation of legacy systems

All organizations

provide cost efficiencies through the greater automation of processes

Archives

demonstrate a commitment to core statutory function for collection, for present and future generations

Business

inform business initiatives today through an understanding of previous decisions and rationale enabled by access to a complete set of reliable records

Business

provide cost efficiencies through planned disposal and deletion according to specified retention schedules, which results in reduced storage requirements

Higher Education and Research

reduce duplication of infrastructure and effort by sharing services, systems and storage with other institutions

Higher Education and Research

demonstrate long term vision and planning

Higher Education and Research

make the right information is available at the right time, by using the most appropriate service

Higher Education and Research

support business continuity through sustained access to key business records

Higher Education and Research

improve future policy formation by supporting robust strategy, processes and procedures

Higher Education and Research

improve knowledge transfer during staff turnover and exits by sustaining access to a complete digital record

Higher Education and Research

remove the need for expensive and time-consuming data rescue and digital archaeology work on legacy data through appropriate planning and initial investment

Libraries

transmit opportunities to future generations by ensuring the right cultural and creative data is available to the right people at the right time in the right format, for as long as necessary

Museums and Galleries

prevent interruptions to service and loss of earnings through resilient processes and sustained access to information which enable hardware and software updates, upgrades, obsolescence, failures and stoppages

Museums and Galleries

create efficiencies in workflow and processes, as well as potentially creating income through data re-use

Read More

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