Preserving the past: Starting a digital preservation service for the future

• Main Author: MOHAMMED ALI, Salihin
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2023
• Subjects: digital preservation; system; Collection Development and Management; Library and Information Science; Scholarly Communication
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/library_research/213; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/library_research/article/1219/viewcontent/SMU_Libraries___PRRLA_2023.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

SMU Libraries aims to develop an active centralised repository of digital materials that captures the culture, heritage, and memories of the institution. However, starting a digital preservation service and maintaining a long-term preservation system involves significant costs, technical expertise, and organizational commitment. The presentation will outline some of the key steps and considerations for planning and implementing the digital preservation service in the areas such as policy formulation, stakeholder engagement and technical infrastructure. The presentation will also cover how SMU Libraries organised a project team to leverage on existing skills and expertise to overcome the challenges above and relied on the readily available resources from the Digital Preservation Coalition as well as experience of other Singapore libraries to embark on the journey to digitally preserve the past for the future.