Digital Archivy or archival science is the foundation for organized knowledge about information and recordkeeping. Effectively, this specialized discipline must be combined with relevant knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Without an awareness of digital archivy, its definition, workflows and best practice, information systems cannot be implemented efficiently. Usually, integration is impossible. But it remains a challenge to provide clear instructions for implementation.  Additionally, it may be difficult to determine value.  So instead, we often focus on a strategy and plan that will make digital archiving a useful and successful endeavor.

Records Continuum Model

The Australian records continuum model identifies records as logical rather than physical entities. Also, the continuum model stresses records used for transactional, evidentiary and memory purposes. In addition, this unified approach provides a multi-dimensional model for archiving and recordkeeping procedures. Consequentially, it also offers a strategy with tactics based on the function of the records—as opposed to an object-oriented perspective. This requires practical, cost-effective solutions that often contradict an object-oriented mindset more familiar to IT professionals. Ostensibly, they often recommend cloud-computing solutions that best address object-oriented tasks.

Institutionalizing archivist’s recordkeeping requires integrating active records management into business processes. Further, by doing this, organizations will improve their institutional memory and shared knowledge. Fortunately, these added value continue to draw upon our digital archivy expertise. Based on our knoweldge, we can help you evaluate and implement the most practical, cost-effective solutions with impact. We call this more bank for the buck!

Meanwhile, technological change has accelerated within institutions. For too long, archival programs have been offshoots of smaller departments while an institutions’ IT professionals focus on current and present needs. Experienced archivists have the skills, knowledge and experience to undertake appraisal of electronic records and digital assets. Our digital archivy and expert insight can deliver better, more consistent and scalable solutions.

For a complete list of clients with whom we have worked, please see our Clients List.
Archivaria published an excellent article about digital archiving n 2012.

.MARAC Panel Part 3 of 3 from presentation on Digital Archivists at MARAC in Newark, Spring 2017

This is the third and final part of a Marac panel presentation examining the differences and similarities between IT professionals and digital archivists. The first two parts focused on similarities and differences. This piece was prepared by David Kay based on his experience working in archives of a variety of different types of institutions.

“Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.” –Dalai Lama

Archival Values

Information is a strategic resource. Every institution creates, uses, stores, revises, and shares it every day, but controlling and managing information effectively requires specialized skills. Without awareness and familiarity with descriptions of records’ primary and secondary values, records cannot be appraised or scheduled for retention or disposition appropriately. Without a digital archivist’s insight and knowledge, a records and archives program will find it difficult to obtain cost reductions, increased efficiencies in search and retrieval, and in the consistent application of retention policies.

Another significant difference between IT professionals and digital archivists, is evident in the way we interact with tools. While IT uses technology as a tool, digital archivists’ toolkit includes an intellectual framework. These include classification systems; descriptive standards; controlled vocabularies; metadata schemas and taxonomies. In fact, integrating these and other archivists’ tools” create great value across the institution.

Archival Tools

There are other archival tools as well.  Each of these tools make manifest our intentions, and make technology, people and systems work better. Evidence of this surrounds us as we watch others succumb to information overload and other challenges of digital hoarding. According to a 2014 McKinsey Report for example, “Employees spend 1.8 hours every day—9.3 hours per week, on average, searching and gathering information.” In other words, employees spend one day a week, approximately than 20 percent of their time at work, searching.

“People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. The reason why the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used.” – Dalai Lama

Taking disparate perspectives into consideration, digital archivists may lack impressive budgets and resources, staffing, and visibility of IT, but they help implement cost-effective and practical solutions. They also help establish governance, workflow policies and standard operating procedures.  More efficient workflows ensure greater buy-in.  As stakeholders and owners become aware of information security policies, digital archivists can use knowledge to make change. As a result, they make their digital archives invaluable.

The Value of Archival Knowledge

When confronted with a problem, IT professionals often propose solutions that require purchasing new technology or software. Archivists, on the other hand remain aware of the interplay and interdisciplinary relationships between content, structure and context. The intrepid archivists are also cognizant of the connections between people, technology, and business process This is because, as we saw before, content lives at that intersection.

Professional archivists can help draw solutions from the three elements of knowledge: know-how, know-why, and know-what.  In fact we succeed when we are involved in strategy and planning.

Marac Panel Part 2 of 3 on Digital Archivists from MARAC Spring 2017 Presentation

This is Part 2 of a panel presentation on the differences and similarities between digital archivists and IT professionals. Presented by David Kay, MLS. In Part 1, he discussed the different types of archival collections. In addition, he also examined their different mindsets and strategies on the part of the institutions and the archivists.

Similarities and Differences between IT and Digital Archivists

Earlier we addressed similar challenges faced by IT professionals and digital archivists. Undoubtedly, there are commonalities shared by IT and digital archivists. In fact, if you look at big picture goals such as preservation, access, control and security, both are quite similar. To be clear, for example, data warehousing and storage are the same!  Organization and centralization of data; backup and archiving, they are all alike! But as Stephen Comey wrote: “Strength lies in differences, not similarities.”

Differences

Needless to say, there also are indisputable differences between IT and digital archivists. Although this is most obvious from a budgeting perspective. IT always has deeper resources and personnel. Also, they bring greater visibility and have a louder, more persuasive voice. IT is indispensable to each modern institution. Consequently, they have more power to buy and build systems and communicate with stakeholders. For them, technological solutions provide opportunities to find solutions and request sufficient funding.

In addition to budget, visibility and staffing, there are significant differences in the language, tools, and knowledge between the two disciplines. There are many general terms that we appearto share with IT and others. Here are three examples of terms with different meanings:

So unfortunately, the terms digital archivists employ sound similar to the language used in other departments– including IT. But it is important to note that certain “key words” within a shared semantic environment describe the reality of that environment. This can be especially confusing when a different interpretation of terms require different workflows and procedures. Simple non-technical words may appear in many semantic environments, but meanings shift as words pass from one context to another.

A Shared Understanding

A shared understanding or awareness of cultural differences defining generally used, common terms like archive, information, and metadata is extremely important. To be clear, as Neil Postman wrote it in Crazy Talk, Stupid Talk (1976): “a semantic environment includes first of all, people; second, their purposes; third, the general rules of discourse by which such purposes are usually achieved; and fourth, the particular talk actually being used in the situation.” So given this context, simple non-technical words may appear in many distinct semantic environments, but their meanings shift as general language words transit from one person’s context to another’s.

In addition to the general language words we “share” with IT, there are also specialized terms that define what we do, how we do it, and why. We learn traditional archival values and principles and apply knowledge to build trusted digital repositories. These include: