JISC

Neil Grindley

A brief introduction to: the value and impact of preservation planning for projects and organisations; and the importance of using entire lifecycle information management approaches to underpin preservation and curation actions.

William Kilbride

This paper will introduce findings from a preservation audit of projects funded from the JISC Digitisation Programme. The value of digitisation is most effectively realised only once the project has been completed. Deferring value to a point after the project creators have been dispersed means that a project needs to be front loaded with long term planning. This can be challenging because at early stages the details of the final product may not be particularly clear nor the quality management processes that the project may adopt nor the risks that the project will face. This study analysed and interviewed 16 funded projects with a view to assessing the viability of their long term plans after several years of funding. As well as specific recommendations to the project teams and the JISC, the study supports a wider analysis of the programme, highlighting common areas of good practice and generalised areas of concern. These generalised finding are of relevance not only to JISC but to any agency intending to invest in digitisation.

Sarah Higgins

The lifecycle approach to managing digital content ensures continuity of access and long-term preservation. The DCC Curation Lifecycle Model can be used as a planning tool to ensure that all the required stages are identified and planned, and necessary actions implemented, in the correct sequence. Lifecycle planning can ensure identification of: the roles and responsibilities involved; the technologies and standards to implement; tools and resources required; and ensure adequate documentation of policies and processes. This can, in turn, ensure the maintenance of authenticity, reliability, integrity and usability of digital content and maximise the investment in their creation.

Richard Davies

The LIFE project is an economic cost estimation project to help institutions manage their digital assets in the long-term. Phases 1 and 2 of the project (‘LIFE1’ and ‘LIFE2’) have developed and refined a methodology to identify cost incurring activities associated with long-term management of digital objects.

LIFE has also linked this work to the paper environment and has tried to develop a methodology that allows for a comparison across both analogue and digital lifecycles. The project has conducted a full evaluation of its economic theory in order to move the project forward in readiness for its final phase (‘LIFE3’) which will develop a software tool to estimate cost in an online environment.

• An assessment of the financial commitment an organisation is making when acquiring or creating new digital materials

• More effective planning for future digital preservation activities

• Comparison of digital lifecycles across an organisation

• Evaluation and optimisation of existing digital lifecycles through the identification of issues and bottlenecks

• Funding bodies to address the aspects of the digital lifecycle which would most benefit from an investment in tool development and automation

LIFE is a collaborative research effort and has involved many partners. The British Library, UCL Library Services, LIBER, JISC, Blackwell’s Publishing, SHERPA-LEAP, SHERPA-DP, Royal State and University Libraries of Denmark, and the Swedish School of Economics have all contributed to give input, practical advice and innovative solutions to this challenging area of Library management.

The LIFE project provides a mechanism and methodology for capturing the current costs that we all face in building digital libraries and repositories, then tries to estimate into the future what the cost of curating and preserving such systems might be. LIFE3, our third phase of research, will develop a software tool which aims to give cost estimates for institutions wishing to know more about the implications of digital preservation, sustainability and long-term access of digital content.