Management and Preservation of Digital Records

In the Management and Preservation of Digital Records module we explore the practical and theoretical aspects of this area, one which is increasingly important for nearly all records keepers.  Records are now overwhelmingly created and stored in digital form, and while drawing on the principles of traditional records keeping in this module we study the essential properties of digital records which make them very different to manage and preserve.  In the module we study the fundamental nature of digital records, their management and preservation, introduce the major standards such as OAIS and PREMIS, and study management considerations.  We also look at the future developments in the field.

• The fundamental properties of digital records dictating their special management and preservation needs.
• Digital archiving and preservation processes: comparing digital archiving and analogue archiving requirements.
• Systems to support digital archiving and preservation: current status and limitations; the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) standard.
• Metadata standards, including the PREMIS standard for preservation metadata.
• Organisational and business considerations, including repository validation.
• Special types of digital records, including emails and databases, social media, concluding with the future agenda.