42 · Survey Results: Survey Questions and Responses
Examples of Digital Preservation Investments
Please select up to three of the most significant types of content your library is investing in for
digital preservation. For each asset type, identify the strategies your library currently uses to
ensure its preservation, how satisfied the library is with each strategy, the strategies you anticipate
the library will be using three years from now to ensure its preservation, and briefly explain any
changes.
Asset Type 1
15. Please select one type of digital content. Please briefly describe this asset and its significance for
preservation. N=50
Administrative records Legally required to preserve it.
Audio materials Sound recordings of various analog formats. Unique recordings not commercially
available and not impeded by copyright laws. Fragile condition.
Digitized special collections We are digitizing rare and unique items from our library collections that are difficult
or impossible to find elsewhere.
Digitized special collections As rare and/or unique material, this forms the core of our identity. Digital conversion
serves as access and stems conservation needs of physical. Preservation of digital is
vital to this effort going forward.
Digitized special collections Digitized versions of text, images, audio, and video in our special collections. For
particularly short-lived formats (e.g., audio- and videotape) our preservation master
file may soon be our record copy. Overall, our investments in digitization and
associated metadata, and the continued growth of our collections, will mean that
we will not want to redigitize content, even if the original is still available.
Digitized special collections NLM’s historical collection of American imprints up to 1865.
Digitized special collections Regionally important collection of digitized historical publications, including
monographs, newspapers, maps, photographs, postcards, and other materials.
Digitized special collections These are unique materials in the world, digitized from UF and partner collections.
Digitized special collections These are very high quality images of our special collections materials.
Digitized special collections This asset type includes digital objects created during digitization of special
collections, including a variety of formats for still images, moving images, encoded
text, and audio recordings. Significance for preservation varies in this broad
category, including the following. A well-managed digital reproduction is expected
to outlive some original source materials due to their physical and chemical
characteristics. Digital surrogates reduce the need to handle fragile originals for the
purpose of browsing and some forms of consultation. For unique objects, digital
reproductions are often the only means of access that will be available if the original
objects are destroyed or seriously damaged in a disaster. As the owner of the
original objects and the creator of the digital reproductions, the library has a primary
responsibility for their preservation.
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