Preservation, New Preservation, New Media, Oral Media, Oral
CulturesCultures
How to Build a Digital LibraryHow to Build a Digital LibraryIan H. Witten and David BainbridgeIan H. Witten and David Bainbridge
Mission of a LibraryMission of a Library
The mission of a library is twofold:The mission of a library is twofold: To collect, organize, and provide access To collect, organize, and provide access
to informationto information To pass it down to succeeding To pass it down to succeeding
generations as a record of culturegenerations as a record of culture
The Librarian’s DutyThe Librarian’s Duty
The librarian has twin duties:The librarian has twin duties: AccessAccess
to the world’s literature for today’s to the world’s literature for today’s readersreaders
PreservationPreservationfor future generationsfor future generations
The Problem of The Problem of PreservationPreservation
PaperPaper Acid-based paper decomposes after only Acid-based paper decomposes after only
a few decadesa few decades FilmFilm
Film containing nitrate decays quicklyFilm containing nitrate decays quickly Analog audioAnalog audio
Wax cylinders or magnetic tapes must Wax cylinders or magnetic tapes must be preserved by transferring into digital be preserved by transferring into digital formatsformats
The Problem of The Problem of PreservationPreservation
Technological progress comes at the Technological progress comes at the expense of preservationexpense of preservation
A process of regular copying can be A process of regular copying can be established to preserve digital established to preserve digital material without lossmaterial without loss
““No one understands how to archive No one understands how to archive digital documents”digital documents”
Preservation TechnologyPreservation Technology
Enormous amounts of digital Enormous amounts of digital information are already lost foreverinformation are already lost forever
Information technologies become Information technologies become obsolete very quicklyobsolete very quickly
Document and media formats Document and media formats continue to proliferatecontinue to proliferate
Technology standards will not solve Technology standards will not solve fundamental issues in the fundamental issues in the preservation of digital informationpreservation of digital information
Availability of MaterialAvailability of Material Libraries will shortly see a demographic bulge Libraries will shortly see a demographic bulge
of electronic material as the baby boom of electronic material as the baby boom generation of authors and academics generation of authors and academics contribute material gathered during their contribute material gathered during their careerscareers
Much material will never make it into library Much material will never make it into library collections for preservation because of collections for preservation because of increasingly restrictive intellectual property increasingly restrictive intellectual property and licensing regimesand licensing regimes
Archiving and preservation functions in a Archiving and preservation functions in a digital environment will increasingly become digital environment will increasingly become privatized as information continues to be privatized as information continues to be commodifiedcommodified
Traditional Library Traditional Library FunctionsFunctions
Financial resources available to Financial resources available to libraries and archives continue to libraries and archives continue to decreasedecrease
Libraries and archives will be Libraries and archives will be required to continue their existing required to continue their existing archival and preservation practices archival and preservation practices as the current paper publishing as the current paper publishing boom continuesboom continues
Preservation StrategiesPreservation Strategies
Digital documents are vulnerable to Digital documents are vulnerable to loss because the media on which loss because the media on which they are stored decays and becomes they are stored decays and becomes obsoleteobsolete
They become inaccessible when the They become inaccessible when the software or hardware becomes software or hardware becomes obsoleteobsolete
Preservation StrategiesPreservation Strategies
Digital formats have advantages Digital formats have advantages over analog formatsover analog formats
Digital formats seem to promote Digital formats seem to promote preservationpreservation
The advantages make digital The advantages make digital preservation even harderpreservation even harder
Preservation StrategiesPreservation Strategies
Ease of creation causes information Ease of creation causes information glutglut
Easy of copying makes “copies” Easy of copying makes “copies” seem dispensableseem dispensable
Improvements in hardware and Improvements in hardware and software promote obsolescencesoftware promote obsolescence
Preservation StrategiesPreservation Strategies
““May all your problems be technical May all your problems be technical ones”ones” Computer people recognize that the Computer people recognize that the
technical problems can be solvedtechnical problems can be solved It’s the human part that causes problemsIt’s the human part that causes problems
Administrative and political processes Administrative and political processes take time and cause frustrationtake time and cause frustration
Technical problems have solutions Technical problems have solutions which yield to honest intellectual workwhich yield to honest intellectual work
Preservation StrategiesPreservation Strategies
Paper and MuseumsPaper and Museums Involves printing the material on paper or Involves printing the material on paper or
microfilm and storing in museumsmicrofilm and storing in museums Not considered a long-term preservation Not considered a long-term preservation
strategystrategy Emulation and MigrationEmulation and Migration
Involves preserving the physical stream Involves preserving the physical stream of bits and/or the logical means by which of bits and/or the logical means by which the bits are interpreted as a documentthe bits are interpreted as a document
Preservation StrategiesPreservation Strategies
Preserving the physical bit streamPreserving the physical bit stream Regular copying to new mediaRegular copying to new media Error detection to determine if Error detection to determine if
degradation is occurringdegradation is occurring Error correcting codes to ensure new Error correcting codes to ensure new
generations are faithful copies of the generations are faithful copies of the originaloriginal
Preservation StrategiesPreservation Strategies
EmulationEmulation Keeping the documents in exactly the Keeping the documents in exactly the
same formsame form Emulate the functionality of the Emulate the functionality of the
original, obsolete system on future, original, obsolete system on future, unknown systemsunknown systems
Preservation StrategiesPreservation Strategies
MigrationMigration Translating the document from the old Translating the document from the old
format to a format accepted by new format to a format accepted by new softwaresoftware Designed for near-obsolete softwareDesigned for near-obsolete software
Involves copying the physical bit stream Involves copying the physical bit stream to new mediato new media
Involves translation to a new logical Involves translation to a new logical formatformat
Preservation StrategiesPreservation Strategies
Emulation or Migration?Emulation or Migration? Migration may be cheaperMigration may be cheaper
No special emulation software needs to be No special emulation software needs to be writtenwritten
Conversion software is usually availableConversion software is usually available Conversion is a kind of translationConversion is a kind of translation
May lose features of the dataMay lose features of the data
Preservation StrategiesPreservation Strategies
An important feature of any format used An important feature of any format used for preserving documents it that it is for preserving documents it that it is open - the details are made publicly open - the details are made publicly availableavailable
It must be open in principle as well as It must be open in principle as well as practicepractice Documented well enough for others to Documented well enough for others to
understand and build their own understand and build their own interpretersinterpreters
Examples: PostScript and PDFExamples: PostScript and PDF
New MediaNew Media
Text remains the principal means for Text remains the principal means for searching and browsing collections, searching and browsing collections, even when they contain documents even when they contain documents in other mediain other media
MusicMusic
Music information retrievalMusic information retrieval Motifs in music are analogous to key Motifs in music are analogous to key
phrases in textphrases in text OMROMR
Optical music recognitionOptical music recognition Music analog of OCRMusic analog of OCR
ImagesImages
ThumbnailsThumbnails Visual material can be rapidly browsed Visual material can be rapidly browsed
using thumbnailsusing thumbnails Captures the readers attentionCaptures the readers attention Gives a feeling for what the collection is Gives a feeling for what the collection is
aboutabout Difficult to automatically search images Difficult to automatically search images
rather than manually browse themrather than manually browse them Collection Understanding …Collection Understanding …
VideosVideos
VideoVideo a sequence of pictures?a sequence of pictures?
Cut detectionCut detection Locating techniques where the scene Locating techniques where the scene
changeschanges MoviesMovies
Browsed and manipulated using thumbnailsBrowsed and manipulated using thumbnails Each thumbnail represents a typical image Each thumbnail represents a typical image
or the initial image in a sceneor the initial image in a scene
RealiaRealia
Real artifactsReal artifacts Computer graphics allow three-Computer graphics allow three-
dimensional objects to be captured dimensional objects to be captured in the form of a data setin the form of a data set
Artifacts are indexed and located on Artifacts are indexed and located on the basis of metadatathe basis of metadata
Other Document TypesOther Document Types
Teaching materialTeaching material Multimedia elementsMultimedia elements
Research materialResearch material Laboratory notebooksLaboratory notebooks
Scientific and engineering dataScientific and engineering data Results of experiments, simulations, Results of experiments, simulations,
and surveysand surveys Information is expressed in many formsInformation is expressed in many forms
Digital Libraries for Oral Digital Libraries for Oral CulturesCultures
Libraries are about literatureLibraries are about literature Literature:Literature:
The writings of a society, in prose or The writings of a society, in prose or verseverse
Broadly speaking, literature includes all Broadly speaking, literature includes all types of fiction and nonfiction writing types of fiction and nonfiction writing intended for publicationintended for publication
Digital Libraries for Oral Digital Libraries for Oral CulturesCultures
It should be possible to create digital It should be possible to create digital library collections intended for library collections intended for people in oral culturespeople in oral cultures
Useful for people who may be Useful for people who may be illiterate or semi-literateilliterate or semi-literate
Useful for people who cannot speak Useful for people who cannot speak or read the language of the digital or read the language of the digital librarylibrary
Digital Libraries for Oral Digital Libraries for Oral CulturesCultures
Iconic FormIconic Form Serious practical information can be Serious practical information can be
conveyed in a purely iconic formconveyed in a purely iconic form ExamplesExamples
How to splint a broken forearmHow to splint a broken forearm User manual for underground transport User manual for underground transport
systemsystem Historical precedent of Beggar’s BiblesHistorical precedent of Beggar’s Bibles
Digital Libraries for Oral Digital Libraries for Oral CulturesCultures
Libraries for the illiterateLibraries for the illiterate We are all illiterate with respect to We are all illiterate with respect to
some other languages and culturessome other languages and cultures Media types:Media types:
Static imagesStatic images Motion, sound, video, interaction, 3D Motion, sound, video, interaction, 3D
objects, simulations, virtual realityobjects, simulations, virtual reality