This paper considers similarities and differences among the concepts of digital curation, digital archives, and digital libraries. It argues that, from a recordkeeping perspective, the phrase digital archive has been misused, even hijacked, and that this misuse obscures fundamental issues associated with the capture and long-term management of archival resources. The paper also argues that digital archiving requires active archival intervention across the entire records continuum, and that, as such, the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) reference model is deficient because it ignores the need for pre-ingest archival activity. The paper reviews the digital archiving experiences of the National Archives of Australia (NAA), in light of the key messages outlined in the first half of the paper placing those endeavors in the broader Australasian context. These experiences include the NAA's efforts to promote and facilitate improvements in government recordkeeping, the NAA's digital preservation project, and the wider challenges of implementing total "end-to-end" digital archiving in an institution already struggling to fund its more traditional activities. It identifies the major challenges that still require resolution, such as securing access to the various skills and capabilities required for digital curation, Australian style. The paper concludes with thoughts on the skills and capabilities needed to deliver total digital archiving outcomes.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Perspective|
November 12 2008
Digital Curation/Digital Archiving: A View from the National Archives of Australia
The American Archivist (2008) 71 (2): 530–543.
Citation
Adrian Cunningham; Digital Curation/Digital Archiving: A View from the National Archives of Australia. The American Archivist 1 September 2008; 71 (2): 530–543. doi: https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.71.2.p0h0t68547385507
Download citation file:
929
Views
0
Citations
Citing articles via
Get Email Alerts
Digital Processing: Exploring the Enigma
Erin Faulder, Laura Uglean Jackson
“It's a Trap”: Complicating Representation in Community-Based Archives
Joyce Gabiola, Gracen Brilmyer, Michelle Caswell, Jimmy Zavala
Understanding the Unseen: Invisible Disabilities in the Workplace
Ann Abney, Veronica Denison, Chris Tanguay, Michelle Ganz
Toward a Conceptual Framework for Technical Debt in Archives
Déirdre Joyce, Laurel McPhee, Rita Johnston, Julia Corrin, Rebecca Hirsch