Digital Curation

by Ross Harvey, Gillian Oliver

As an in-depth explanation of the entire digital curation lifecycle, from creation to appraisal to preservation to organization/access to transformation, the first edition of this text set a benchmark for both thoroughness and clarity. Boasting the expert guidance of international authorities Oliver and Harvey, this revamped and expanded edition widens the scope to address continuing developments in the strategies, technological approaches, and activities that are part of this rapidly changing field. In addition to current practitioners, those pursuing a career as librarian, archivist, or records manager will find this definitive survey invaluable. Filled with up-to-date best practices, it covers such important topics as the scope and incentives of digital curation, detailing Digital Curation Centre's (DCC) lifecycle model as well as the Data Curation Continuum; key requirements for digital curation, from description and representation to planning and collaboration; the value and utility of metadata; considering the needs of producers and consumers when creating an appraisal and selection policy for digital objects; the paradigm shift by institutions towards cloud computing and its impact on costs, storage, and other key aspects of digital curation; the quality and security of data; new and emerging data curation resources, including innovative digital repository software and digital forensics tools; mechanisms for sharing and reusing data, with expanded sections on open access, open data, and open standards initiatives; and processes to ensure that data are preserved and remain usable over time.Useful as both a teaching text and day-to-day working guide, this book outlines the essential concepts and techniques that are crucial to preserving the longevity of digital resources.

Genres: Library Science, Nonfiction, Professional Development, Textbooks, Librarianship, Technology

240 pages, ebook

First published July 28, 2010

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes taking professional classes and going to education confrences can be amazingly depressing. "You thought you were doing OK? You know your system has problems and thought this class might help? HAH! Here's a whole slew of problems you didn't even know you had!

I suppose that's how education is supposed to work.

I read the book, I took the class, I wrote the papers, got involved in the discussions - heck I aced the class. That said, I do NOT feel confident that the recommendataions and procedures that this class list as best practices will get implemented in my job. I can refer to them, I can push for them, but the in the real world, lines of authority are so tangled and priorities are so low that I'm afraid some portion of loss will continue to be the order of the day.

[Grace Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent introduction to a growing new field. Already some of the links in the text no longer work showing the importance of the field in our current digitally driven world. Yet this should serve as a guide for years to come for understanding the different ways that we can curate the digital world.

[Donna]

Text for digital preservation class. Good overall.