Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Contributors
- Glossary
- Introduction
- Part 1 Why and what to preserve: creativity versus preservation
- Part 2 The memory institution/data archival perspective
- Part 3 Digital preservation approaches, practice and tools
- Part 4 Case studies
- Part 5 A legal perspective
- Part 6 Pathfinder conclusions
- Index
Introduction
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 September 2022
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Contributors
- Glossary
- Introduction
- Part 1 Why and what to preserve: creativity versus preservation
- Part 2 The memory institution/data archival perspective
- Part 3 Digital preservation approaches, practice and tools
- Part 4 Case studies
- Part 5 A legal perspective
- Part 6 Pathfinder conclusions
- Index
Summary
The need to preserve complex digital objects
The latest stage (2010s) in the digital revolution has taken society to a new level in the ‘information age’, with the proliferation of social networking, Cloud computing, tablet computers and smartphones. Digital technologies are now truly affecting all walks of life: personal, social, business, academic, political, technological, etc. One wonders whether even Alan Mathison Turing (1912–54), the computing pioneer who first set down the range of possible uses for computers, could or would have anticipated their present ubiquity. Whilst memory institutions try to come to grips with preserving arguably ‘more standard’ digital material such as electronic records, e-books and ejournals from the business and academic communities, personal digital data is increasing at such a rate that it is likely to outstrip ‘standard’ archived material. The Digital Lives project neatly summarizes the situation:
With society and humanity facing some very demanding challenges and changes in the coming years and decades it is imperative that analysis of the way people live their lives in relation to their cultural, social and natural environments can be conducted regularly and systematically, based on reliable sources of personal information – obtained and used ethically and legally with the full and ongoing support of participating individuals. Life information promises to be an invaluable resource in monitoring the natural environment, in capturing historical events and precedents as witnessed by people everywhere, and in comprehensive recording of literary, artistic, socio-political and scientific endeavour and enlightenment. At the same time it represents a possible emancipation of people generally, allowing interested individuals of the digital populace to have their personal and family memories, creativity and unfolding lives, acknowledged as a persistent personal archive and through lasting digital objects.
John et al. (2010, vi)The exhibition on Pompeii and Herculaneum at the British Museum in 2013 highlights the reality that we are indebted to the fact that we have a first-hand account of the eruption of Vesuvius recorded by Pliny, which has proved a seminal analysis of such events for posterity. Will we be so fortunate with today's digital historical, environmental and cultural heritage? Will the archaeological 3D representations that are fundamental to today's world be extant for future societies?
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Preserving Complex Digital Objects , pp. xxxv - xlviiiPublisher: FacetPrint publication year: 2015