In 1996, the authors of Preserving Digital Information asserted that “long-term preservation of digital information on a scale adequate for the demands of future research and scholarship will require a deep infrastructure capable of supporting a distributed system of digital archives.” An organization must provide some core requirements to build a digital preservation program that can be part of that distributed system. We identify here three interlocking components that surround an institution’s digital assets—those digital resources considered valuable to the organization, whether for a limited time or an indefinite future.
Organizational Infrastructure is expressed in a comprehensive policy framework, providing the rationale and mandate for a program as well as detailing the requisite policies, procedures, and plans. 0101 Technological Infrastructure entails preservation planning to provide ongoing support for a robust, flexible, and cost-effective technological platform. Technology forecasting identifies and incorporates relevant developments and solutions over time. $$$$ A sustainable Resources Framework, covering staffing, technological, operational, and other costs, is necessary to undergird the organizational and technology infrastructures.
