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Preserving Access to Information in Electronic Form


An increasing proportion of cultural heritage and information is created, distributed and stored in electronic form. New technologies, including the capability for networked access, offer the potential for increased access to 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 electronic form will be lost.

The Preserving Access to Digital Information (PADI) Working Group was established in response to the need for the development of guidelines for the management of material in electronic format identified at the Towards Federation 2001 meeting in 1993. In recognition of the common challenges faced by collecting institutions in dealing with digital information, PADI is a cross-sectoral group comprising representatives from many of Australia's major cultural institutions including the National Library. The PADI website is esigned to assist all with an interest in ensuring long-term d access to information in digital form. Through a single focal point, coherent access to quality, value-added and current information is provided by this site, which is hosted at the National Library.

In consultation with representatives from a broad range of sectors, the National Initiatives and Collaboration (NIAC) Branch of the National Library of Australia has developed a statement of Principles on the Preservation of and Long-Term Access to Australian Digital Objects.

In late 1995, the NIAC Branch of the National Library (then the National Preservation Office) hosted a conference, Multimedia Preservation: Capturing The Rainbow. At this conference, a wide range of topics, including the digitisation of the collections of libraries and archives, the production of interactive multimedia products to improve accessibility to collections in museums and galleries, technical standards, access mechanisms, and the economic, copyright and legal aspects of multimedia were discussed.

Other initiatives currently taking place in the National Library include:

See also: National Library of Australia News Articles - Electronic Preservation


Return to NIAC - Preserving Access to Documentary Heritage Page

Last updated 7 August 1997

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