6615 WeekX Electronic Records

8/6/2019 6615 WeekX Electronic Records

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Week X:

Electronic Records

April 6, 2011


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Growth of Websites on the Internet

06/1993130

12/1993623

06/19942,738

12/199410,022 06/199523,500

01/1996100,000

06/1996252,000

06/19971,117,259

(Number of

Unique Hosts)

06/19982,410,067

06/19996,177,453

06/200017,119,262

06/200129,302,656 06/200238,807,788

06/200340,936,076

06/200451,636,284

11/2006101,435,253

Stats By MIT


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Growth of Traffic on the Internet

Petabyte = 1 MillionGB

1990 = .001 Petabyte

1991 = .002 1993 = .008

1994 = .016

1995 = .15

1996 = 1.5 1997 = 2.5 to 4.0

1998 = 5.0 to 8.0

(Estimates are permonth)

1999 = 10 to 16

2000 = 20 to 35 2001 = 40 to 70

2002 = 80 to 140

2003 = 130 to 210

2004 = 200 to 300 2005 = 300 to 500

2006 = 450 to 800


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Digital Curation: Definitions

includes the authentication, archiving, management,preservation, retrieval, and presentation for use andreuse over time of high-quality digital data in anyformat.Stephanie Clark, IMLS

Managing digital objects, and sustaining usability, overthe long termStephen Chapman, Harvard University Library

"Everyone from museum administrators to college

students are trying to figure out what it actually meansto be an information professional in a museum.Cathryn Goodwin, Museum Computer Network(MCN)


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What are Digital Curators Called?

Digital Acquisitions Program Librarian

Digital Acquisitions Support Librarian

Digital Cartography Specialist

Digital Library Program Manager

Digital Library Projects Liaison

Digital Library Software Engineer

Digital Projects Analyst

Digital Projects Librarian

Digital Projects Program Librarian

Electronic Reserves Librarian

E-Resources Licensing Specialist

HCL Librarian for Collections

Digitization Metadata Analyst


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What do they do?

(Example: Digital Repository)

Digital stewardship:Cooperate with collection managers in exercising appropriatedigital stewardship.

Preservation of usability:Preserve the usability of stored objects over time.

Delivery services:Deliver content to desktop client applications via standard webprotocols.

Professionalism and sustainability:Manage Digital Repository in a manner that is administratively,financially, and technically sustainable.

Responsiveness and transparency:Be responsive to the needs and concerns of the collectionmanager community and conduct Digital Repository policy settingand planning activities in an open and transparent manner.(From presentation by Stephen Chapman, Harvard UniversityLibrary)


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Who is Providing a Program in

Digital Curation?

University of Arizona, SIRLS in partnership withthe AZ State Libraryhttp://sirls.arizona.edu/program/digIn

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign inpartnership with science data centershttp://www.lis.uiuc.edu/programs/ms/data_curation.html

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill inpartnership with the National Archiveshttp://ils.unc.edu/digccurr/index.html
http://webmail.uis.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://sirls.arizona.edu/program/digInhttp://webmail.uis.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://sirls.arizona.edu/program/digInhttp://www.lis.uiuc.edu/programs/ms/data_curation.htmlhttp://www.lis.uiuc.edu/programs/ms/data_curation.htmlhttp://webmail.uis.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://ils.unc.edu/digccurr/index.htmlhttp://webmail.uis.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://ils.unc.edu/digccurr/index.htmlhttp://www.lis.uiuc.edu/programs/ms/data_curation.htmlhttp://webmail.uis.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://sirls.arizona.edu/program/digIn


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Chapter 10: Digital Records

(Hunter) Several Test Cases involving Digital

Records

The Nature of the Problem

Foundational Research

Approaches to Managing Digital Records

Suggestions for the Practical Archivist


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Definition of a Record???

Three Main Characteristics: Content

Structure

Context Archival Record is Preserved because of

its Enduring Value

Remember from the second week Organic by-product of human activity created

to capture meaningful information preservedfor long value


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Storage Media/System Dependence

Emails are not sufficient for preservationunless the context and structure arepreserved as well as content (1993 U.S.

Court of Appeals) Physical Lifetime of a Digital Record is 10-

20 years (actual results may vary).

Dependence on obsolete hardware and

software How to archive? One example is the

PDF/A.


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Foundational Research

University of British Columbia

University of Pittsburgh

The InterPARES Project


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Approaches to Managing Digital

Records Analog Storage Digital Archaeology

Computer Museums

Backward Compatibility Formulating Policies

Standards

Conversion & Migration

Emulation

Trustworthy Information Systems

Persistent Digital Archives


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Discussion Questions???

What is the difference between anelectronic and a digital record?

Should computer be kept to read old files orshould they be converted to new files

compatible with new technology? Of the ten approaches Hunter discusses

which approaches can be excluded today andwhich approaches seem to be gaining

momentum toward becoming standardpractices? How easily can one tamper with digital

records? What measures can an archivist

take to prevent such tampering?


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Policies

Digital Records policies should have thefollowing features: Capable of being generalized to the range of

departments and problems being addressed

Pose clear alternatives with sufficient basis tosupport judgments

Be easily implemented, flexible and cost

effective Policy Issues Associated with Digital

Records (p. 259)


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Standards

Promote Interoperability and Portability Should be aware of these standards:

ASCII (text)

JPEG (imagescompressed) TIFF (imagesno compression)

SGML (electronic publishing language)

XML (extensible markup language)

OSI (network standards for computer comm)

SQL (most common database language)

TCP/IP (communication std for the Internet)


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OAIS Model

(Open Archival Information System) Six Distinct Functional Areas:

Ingest

Archival Storage

Data Management Administration

Preservation Planning

Access


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Suggestions for the Practical

Archivist Suggestions for Organizations

Policies that define Digital Records

Rules for Naming Files and Disks

Good System Documentation

Let Vendors Know that Managing Digital Records

is IMPORTANT Suggestions for Individuals:

Meaningful Descriptions to Documents

Backup Regularly, Store Off-Site

Record Info on each Document Created Only Use Password Protection when absolutely

necessary

If Compressed, Keep Versions of Compression

Software


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Where do you think Hunter stands in hisapproach to digital records? Is he more

of a "traditionalist" or do you get the

impression that he is embracing the ideathat archives need to reinvent

themselves?


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Schellenberg in Cyberspace

(By Linda J. Henry) Linda J. Henry has worked with manuscripts,

organizational, and public records in severalinstitutions. Since 1991 she has been anarchivist with the Center of Electronic

Records of the National Archives andRecords Administration.

She is the former archivist of the Schlesinger

Library at Radcliffe College. She is an SAA fellow and has served as SAA

Treasurer and as a member of the SAACouncil.


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New Paradigm???

Does electronic records overthrowSchellenbergs traditional archival

theories?

Why arent more archivists creating orworking on electronic records programs

even today?

What is the new paradigm anyway?


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Definition of a Record

Schellenbergs definition of a record

Are electronic records ONLY those with

evidence of business transactions? Or is

that just the footprints of bureaucrats? Does defining get in the way of

determining if an electronic record has

permanent value?


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The Records Continuum

How do we appraise electronic records?

Should archivists intervene before the

creation of electronic records? The

concept stage??? Schellenberg did not think archivists

should become creators of records BUT

if archivists usurp the role of creator bydefining what records should be

created..then archivists make records.


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Henry states that the new paradigmthinkers believe that within the idealrecords continuum, creators will producethe records archivists want. Have any ofthese new tinkers ever worked at a hugebureaucracy like a University? How canone archivist get an organization of

thousands to create specific records justso they wont be burdened with physicalcustody or requests for records?


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Custody

Who owns electronic records? Whoshould have custody?

Archive without custody would not be

archives at all Shifting custodial responsibilities to

creators would leave the Oliver Norths

of this world in charge of their records A noncustody agreement???


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The New Archivist

Smaller body of records in which toprocess???

Not burdened with physical custody?

Creators only produce the recordsarchivists want?

Maybe a future with no role at all?

Self-documenting records???


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Manner/Expression

Confusing Jargon and Technobabble

We Know Best Aura

Schellenbergs statement that we are not

betterjust different.

Concerns that supporters of electronic

records is dividing the profession

Dont abandon established principles andpractices???


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Discussion Questions??? If so many writers offering new solutions to

electronic records have little to no archivalexperience, why would they even bemotivated to write about this issue at all?Why would journals publish these articles if

they are not from archival professionals? Is it irresponsible for archivists to assume

control of digital records while the problemof preserving, storing, and accessing them is

unresolved? If the new paradigm argues that there might

be no need for an archivist, then who willmitigate, adapt and validate these digital

records?


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Skills Required to be an Effective

Manager of Electronic Records

Who is Philip Bantin? Over 20 Years as a Professional Archivist

Associate Professor for the School of Library and

Information Science (Indiana UniversityBloomington)

Director of Archives Specialization

Director of Office of University Archives

MLS, University of WisconsinMadison (1976) MA, Emory University (1975)

Responsible for multiple electronic recordsprojects across entire IU system


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What Skills Do Archivists Need?

Basic knowledge of how automated systems arecreated and work

More detailed knowledge of data administrationmethodology

Experience with functional analysis methodologyand data modeling

Knowledge of computer based informationsystems

Data dictionaries Information resource dictionary systems

Goals was to speak the language of thetechnologist and was able to perform some basic

tasks related to modeling and describing data


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Refining Those Skills

How much specialization is needed? How do you determine when you have

acquired enough information to do your job? At what point do you hand the ball off to

partners (assuming IT partners) for them todo their thing?

How to strike a balance between teachingknown methods and techniques- built

around traditional archival functions- andteaching archivists how to evaluate, apply,and modify theory to address the changingneeds of advanced technology?


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Skill Set Categories

First Skill: Obtaining basic knowledge ofautomated systems and how they process

data and information

On-Line Transaction Processing systems (OLTP), Database Management Systems (DBMS),

Management Information Systems (MIS),

Decision Support System (DSS) and Data

Warehouses

Electronic Document Management Systems

(EDMS).


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Skill Set Categories (Continued)

Second Skill: Information System Analysis andDesign Skills Records professionals will be creating and

employing conceptual models designed to analyzeand document record systems.

The equivalent of a traditional records surveywould be the creation of business processmodels.

In documenting records, a complete, authentic

and reliable record would be captured not byphysically reviewing the record but by analyzingmetadata and data models and by comparing theresults to an established set of metadataspecifications and recordkeeping requirements.


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Skill Set Categories (Continued)

Third Skill: Obtaining the management skillsrequired to translate this knowledge into astrategic plan Constantly devising new strategies and

management plans designed to move therecordkeeping agenda forward.

Finding creative ways to promote a partnershipswith Internal Audit, IT, etc.

Translate a set of goals and objectives into arealistic and effective implementation project.

Must learn effective techniques forcommunicating archival needs, capabilities and

contributions to non-archival professionals.


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How to do this???

The goal is not be become a programmer,systems analyst or decision support specialist,

but rather an archivist/records manager who

can speak the language of the technologist,understands how various data and

information systems function, and is able

perform some basic tasks related tomodeling and describing business processes.


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Philip Bantin greatly advocates for the generalarchivist to know technical jargon and able to dobasic tasks of modeling and describing data. Doesarchival education need to include an extensivecourse load in information technology? Should an

archivist have an IT degree or experience? Is aninformational science and technology backgroundmore useful than a historical background indealing with electronic records in archives?

Do papers like BantinsSkills Required to be anEffective Manager of Electronic Records, onlyfurther reveal the large impact library schoolshave on the archives profession?

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