The Library of Congress: Meeting the Challenge of Digital Preservation
It took two centuries for the Library of Congress to acquire its 29 million books and 105 million other items: manuscripts, motion pictures, sound recordings, maps, prints, photographs. Today it takes only 15 minutes for the world to produce an equal amount of information in digital form.
This staggering statistic looms over our urgent need to collect and preserve our nation's cultural and historical record that is increasingly being produced digitally and in no other form. Collecting these so-called born-digital materials is essential if the Library of Congress is to continue to fulfill its role in the 21st century to preserve and sustain a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations.
While the Library alone cannot collect, preserve and make available all the digital information that is worth saving and is at risk of loss, the Library is meeting the challenge of digital preservation in many different ways:
Content Transfer
The National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) is meeting the challenge by exploring ways to transfer valuable digital cultural heritage materials to the Library.Digital Formats Sustainability: A Work in Progress
There are now vastly larger amounts of information created in a greater variety of formats than ever before, making it increasingly difficult for libraries to identify what is of value and ensure its longevity over time.The National Digital Newspaper Program
The National Digital Newspaper Program is a partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities to digitize and provide enhanced access to rare regional newspapers from around the country.Placing Trust in Organizations: San Diego Supercomputer Center
Can you trust an organization to manage and store your most valuable digital assets? The Library engaged the San Diego Supercomputer Center in a one-year demonstration project to test the feasibility of engaging external partners as service providers to fill digital management needs.Preserving Audiovisual Works: The Packard Campus
The Library of Congress holds the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of audiovisual works, and is meeting the challenge to collect and preserve this valuable cultural heritage in the digital environment.Saving the World Wide Web
The Library of Congress recognized the cultural heritage value of Web-based materials at an early date and has been actively exploring ways to collect, preserve and provide access to these materials.Setting Standards
The Library of Congress is meeting the challenge by being actively engaged in supporting the development of several key open standards for digital content.Sharing Knowledge
The Library of Congress is meeting the challenge by providing venues for partners to share knowledge and experience about digital preservation. NDIIPP co-principle investigator Steve Morris of North Carolina State University Libraries presented an informative tutorial at the Library of Congress on preserving geospatial data.
