Staff Papers
PADI: Preserving Access to Australian Information and Cultural Heritage in Digital Form
Paper by Leanne Brandis and Jan Lyall, Director, National Initiatives and Collaboration, National Library of Australia
Abstract
An increasing proportion of Australias cultural heritage and information is created, distributed and stored in digital form. However, there is a danger that, unless consideration is given to preservation, access benefits will be limited to the short term and much of our heritage in digital form will be lost.
This paper describes the activities of the cross-sectoral PADI (Preserving Access to Digital Information) Working Group, which include the development of a website which gathers a range of information in one place to assist creators/publishers, managers, researchers, and all with an interest in ensuring long-term access to important digital information.
Internet search tools reveal a wealth of preservation resources. However, identifying those which are relevant to the task of preserving digital information, or information in electronic formats, involves wading through search results relating to preserving in today's kitchen, preserving the web of life, preserving timber jobs, preserving our Muslim identity, preserving biodiversity in unseen organisms, and eventually preserving the past, your memories and our heritage. The PADI Working Group and website have evolved to organise this information in order to provide guidance for preserving access to digital information. The PADI website is the primary tool for doing this.
As noted on the PADI site, "today, much material of significance is being created in digital form. Compared with an object in a museum which may lay undisturbed for years in a storeroom, or a book on a shelf, or even Egyptian hieroglyphics carved on the wall of a tomb, digital information requires much more active maintenance. If we want to access digital information in the future, we must plan and act now.
"With the increasing acceptance and widespread use of digital technology, more and more information exists only in digital form. Therefore it is no longer possible to simply put the preservation of digital information in the 'too hard' basket. Doing so would mean that an increasingly large proportion of our documentary heritage will become inaccessible."
The PADI website is a useful tool for retrieving the preservation of digital information from the 'too hard' basket. For example, one section of the PADI website tackles the big questions:
- Why is this an issue? Why worry about preserving access to digital information?
- What digital information should be preserved?
- Who should take responsibility for preserving it?
- How can it be preserved?
- How much is it likely to cost?
The website has been developed over the past two years by the PADI Working Group. By today's standards, where anything older than a couple of years is considered outdated, the Working Group has a long history. The Group owes its existence to the library community which made a recommendation at the Towards Federation 2001 meeting in 1993 that a group comprising members from the library and archives sectors be established to develop appropriate guidelines for the preservation of information in electronic form.
In recognition of the common challenges faced by collecting institutions in dealing with digital information, the membership of the Group has expanded to include other representatives from the museum, information technology and research communities. Current membership now comprises representatives from Australian Archives, Australian Council of Libraries and Information Services, Australian Information Industry Association Ltd, Australian War Memorial, Department of Communication and the Arts, National Film and Sound Archive, National Gallery of Australia, National Library of Australia, National Museum of Australia and Impart Corporation Cooperative Multimedia Centre.
In the early stages, the Group struggled to come to grips with its elusive and sometimes overwhelming task Late in 1996, in preference to producing printed guidelines, the Group decided to develop an evolving web-based information resource which would contain original material as well as links to relevant sites in Australia and elsewhere.
Considerable time was spent designing the website to provide a logical yet simple structure which would be easy to navigate and be relevant to everyone from concerned creators to preservation specialists. Group members worked with a contractor to develop the content and structure of the site. In January 1997, PADI launched a proof-of-concept web-based information resource designed to assist collection managers, creators, publishers, researchers, and all with an interest in ensuring long-term access to important information in digital form.
The PADI site contains information about issues associated with preserving access to digital information as well as news items about recent developments and conferences. As the site developed it became more relevant to the international community. In the process it changed its namePADI originally stood for Preserving Australia's Digital Information.
As mentioned, one section of the site address the policy questions behind the preservation task. It poses the questions that must be considered before embarking on any preservation programme. While it is not yet possible to provide definitive answers to these questions, the site explores the issues and provides guidance.
A second section of the site lists links to relevant online resources: conference details, sites and organisations, bibliographies, policies, discussion lists and journals, and reports of useful case studies. Rather than being comprehensive when creating these lists, the aim is to select from the many resources available, those that would be of most use to practitioners. In this way, the PADI Group is effectively adding value to the information accessible via the Internet.
Information on key topics forms the remainder of the site. These topics include details of preservation paths such as migration and emulation; issues surrounding specific media and formats such as email, electronic records and magnetic materials, including technological obsolescence; resource discovery and identification issues, including metadata; and copyright and related access issues. Each of these topics is briefly discussed in terms of the long-term preservation of digital information. A number of selected resources are listed for each topic to enable users to pursue the topic in more detail if they require.
The most dynamic aspect of the website is the 'What's happening' page which provides current information on what is happening in the world of digital preservation and access. Entries include web links and brief descriptions of each linked resource. This information is being fed into the site mainly through members of the PADI Working Group, but also by others interested in the field.
Ultimately it was intended that the PADI site would provide a series of best-practice guidelines as an aid to others who may be embarking on related projects. To date, resources have not permitted the realisation of this stage.
Developments in the management of electronic/digital information are occurring rapidly. Consequently, the information on the PADI site dates rapidly and maintenance of the site is resource intensive. Recently a trial has been undertaken to determine the effectiveness of distributing the responsibility for maintaining the content of the PADI site by appointing content providers who will be responsible for a defined portion of the PADI site. The PADI Group first noted the use of expert content providers by the Biz/ed Gateway project (Sladen, 75).
The PADI Working Group anticipated that distributing responsibility for maintenance would bring a number of benefits to the PADI site:
- delivery of content by experts
- provision of more personalised contact for users wishing to supply feedback
- assurance of the currency of the site.
The trial is continuing. The outcomes will be made available on the PADI site when the trial is complete.
While the PADI website has moved beyond the initial developmental stage, the PADI Group will continue to function as an effective cross-sectoral mechanism with the objectives of:
- Facilitating the development of national strategies and guidelines for the preservation of access to digital information.
- Developing and maintaining a website for information and promotion purposes.
- Actively identifying and promoting relevant activities.
- Providing a forum for cross-sectoral cooperation on activities promoting the preservation of access to digital information.
In creating the PADI site, the group has grappled with the issues involved in ensuring long-term access to digital information. The members are consequently well placed to provide input and guidance in digital preservation projects and programmes.
In conclusion, it is evident that an increasing proportion of Australias cultural heritage and information is created, distributed and stored in digital form. New technologies including the capability for networked access offer the potential for increased public access to Australian cultural and information resources. However, there is a danger that, unless consideration is given to preservation, these access benefits will be limited to the short term and much of our heritage in digital form will be lost.
PADI has recognised the need for action and has identified its major goal as providing mechanisms that will help to ensure that digital information is managed with appropriate consideration for preservation and future access. Because of this, when using the Internet search tools, amongst the information on preserving farmland, pumpkins and average proximity in arrays, it is now also possible to find a single source of useful information on preserving access to digital information.
References
Catherine Sladen. Biz/ed: Trusting the Providers. In Proceedings of the 4th UK/International Conference on Electronic Library and Visual Information Research, Milton Keynes, UK, 6-8 May 1997. 75-81.
