Digital Preservation
information unbound
by time or discipline
challenges and new skills needed

David Giaretta MA, MSc, DPhil, MBE
Giaretta Associates Ltd and PTAB
www.iso16363.org and www.giaretta.org
david@giaretta.org

20240117
Florianopolis, Brazil

Outline

Which digitally encoded information is important to us?
Why is it important for some of it to be preserved over many decades - perhaps "forever"?
When and what sort of threats are there to such information?
How can those threats be overcome?
Where can the information be preserved?
Who can be trusted to overcome those threats?

Conclusions

Digitally encoded information is important - some only for a short period BUT some for many decades - maybe indefinitely.
If things did not change there would be no problem - but things DO change. Hardware, software, environment and what people know.
Preserving digitally encoded information is more than simply keeping the bits and more than just being able to print a document.
OAIS (ISO 14721) provides the key concepts for preserving any kinds of digitally encoded information.
ISO 16363 gives a way to evaluate archives while ISO 16919 and ISO 17021 tells us who can undertake ISO audit and certification for ISO 16363.