Week X:

Electronic Records
April 6, 2011
Growth of Websites on the Internet
 06/1993 – 130  06/1998 – 2,410,067
 12/1993 – 623  06/1999 – 6,177,453
 06/1994 – 2,738  06/2000 – 17,119,262
 12/1994 – 10,022  06/2001 – 29,302,656
 06/1995 – 23,500  06/2002 – 38,807,788
 01/1996 – 100,000  06/2003 – 40,936,076
 06/1996 – 252,000  06/2004 – 51,636,284
 06/1997 – 1,117,259  11/2006 – 101,435,253
(Number of Stats By MIT
Unique Hosts)
Growth of Traffic on the Internet
Petabyte = 1 Million (Estimates are per
GB month)
 1990 = .001 Petabyte  1999 = 10 to 16
 1991 = .002  2000 = 20 to 35
 1993 = .008  2001 = 40 to 70
 1994 = .016  2002 = 80 to 140
 1995 = .15  2003 = 130 to 210
 1996 = 1.5  2004 = 200 to 300
 1997 = 2.5 to 4.0  2005 = 300 to 500
 1998 = 5.0 to 8.0  2006 = 450 to 800
Digital Curation: Definitions
 ”includes the authentication, archiving, management,
preservation, retrieval, and presentation for use and
reuse over time of high-quality digital data in any
format.”
Stephanie Clark, IMLS
 “Managing digital objects, and sustaining usability, over
the long term…”
Stephen Chapman, Harvard University Library
 "Everyone from museum administrators to college
students are trying to figure out what it actually means
to be an information professional in a museum.“
Cathryn Goodwin, Museum Computer Network
(MCN)
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
What do they do?
(Example: Digital Repository)
 Digital stewardship:
Cooperate with collection managers in exercising appropriate
digital stewardship.
 Preservation of usability:
Preserve the usability of stored objects over time.
 Delivery services:
Deliver content to desktop client applications via standard web
protocols.
 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 collection
manager community and conduct Digital Repository policy setting
and planning activities in an open and transparent manner.
(From presentation by Stephen Chapman, Harvard University
Library)
Who is Providing a Program in
Digital Curation?
 University of Arizona, SIRLS in partnership with
the AZ State Library
http://sirls.arizona.edu/program/digIn

 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in

partnership with science data centers
http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/programs/ms/data_curation.html

 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in

partnership with the National Archives
http://ils.unc.edu/digccurr/index.html
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
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 preserved
for long value…
Storage Media/System Dependence
 Emails are not sufficient for preservation
unless the context and structure are
preserved 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.
Foundational Research
 University of British Columbia
 University of Pittsburgh
 The InterPARES Project
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
Discussion Questions???
 What is the difference between an
electronic and a digital record?
 Should computer be kept to read old files or
should they be converted to new files
compatible with new technology?
 Of the ten approaches Hunter discusses
which approaches can be excluded today and
which approaches seem to be gaining
momentum toward becoming standard
practices?
 How easily can one tamper with digital
records? What measures can an archivist
take to prevent such tampering?
Policies
 Digital Records policies should have the
following features:
◦ Capable of being generalized to the range of
departments and problems being addressed
◦ Pose clear alternatives with sufficient basis to
support judgments
◦ Be easily implemented, flexible and cost
effective
 Policy Issues Associated with Digital
Records (p. 259)
Standards
 Promote Interoperability and Portability
 Should be aware of these standards:
◦ ASCII (text)
◦ JPEG (images – compressed)
◦ TIFF (images – no 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)
OAIS Model
(Open Archival Information System)
 Six Distinct Functional Areas:
◦ Ingest
◦ Archival Storage
◦ Data Management
◦ Administration
◦ Preservation Planning
◦ Access
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
Discussion Questions???
 Where do you think Hunter stands in his
approach to digital records? Is he more
of a "traditionalist" or do you get the
impression that he is embracing the idea
that archives need to reinvent
themselves?
Schellenberg in Cyberspace
(By Linda J. Henry)
 Linda J. Henry has worked with manuscripts,
organizational, and public records in several
institutions. Since 1991 she has been an
archivist with the Center of Electronic
Records of the National Archives and
Records 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 SAA
Council.
New Paradigm???
 Does electronic records overthrow
Schellenberg‟s traditional archival
theories?
 Why aren‟t more archivists creating or
working on electronic records programs
even today?
 What is the new paradigm anyway?
Definition of a Record
 Schellenberg‟s 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?
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 by
defining what records should be
created..then archivists make records.
Discussion Questions???
 Henry states that the new paradigm
thinkers believe that „within the ideal
records continuum, creators will produce
the records archivists want.‟ Have any of
these new tinkers ever worked at a huge
bureaucracy like a University? How can
one archivist get an organization of
thousands to create specific records just
so they wont be „burdened with physical
custody or requests for records?”
Custody
 Who owns electronic records? Who
should 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???
The “New” Archivist
 Smaller body of records in which to
process???
 Not burdened with physical custody?
 Creators only produce the records
archivists want?
 Maybe a future with no role at all?
 Self-documenting records???
Manner/Expression
 Confusing Jargon and Technobabble
 “We Know Best” Aura
 Schellenberg‟s statement that we are not
better…just different.
 Concerns that supporters of electronic
records is dividing the profession
 Don‟t abandon established principles and
practices???
Discussion Questions???
 If so many writers offering new solutions to
electronic records have little to no archival
experience, why would they even be
motivated 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 problem
of preserving, storing, and accessing them is
unresolved?
 If the new paradigm argues that there might
be no need for an archivist, then who will
mitigate, adapt and validate these digital
records?
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 University
Bloomington)
◦ Director of Archives Specialization
◦ Director of Office of University Archives
◦ MLS, University of Wisconsin – Madison (1976)
◦ MA, Emory University (1975)
◦ Responsible for multiple electronic records
projects across entire IU system…
What Skills Do Archivists Need?
 Basic knowledge of how automated systems are
created and work
 More detailed knowledge of data administration
methodology
 Experience with functional analysis methodology
and data modeling
 Knowledge of computer based information
systems
◦ Data dictionaries
◦ Information resource dictionary systems
 Goals was to speak the language of the
technologist and was able to perform some basic
tasks related to modeling and describing data
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 to
do their thing?
 How to strike a balance between teaching
known methods and techniques- built
around traditional archival functions- and
teaching archivists how to evaluate, apply,
and modify theory to address the changing
needs of advanced technology?
Skill Set Categories
 First Skill: Obtaining basic knowledge of
automated 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).
Skill Set Categories (Continued)
 Second Skill: Information System Analysis and
Design Skills
◦ Records professionals will be creating and
employing conceptual models designed to analyze
and document record systems.
◦ The equivalent of a traditional records survey
would be the creation of business process
models.
◦ In documenting records, a complete, authentic
and reliable record would be captured not by
physically reviewing the record but by analyzing
metadata and data models and by comparing the
results to an established set of metadata
specifications and recordkeeping requirements.
Skill Set Categories (Continued)
 Third Skill: Obtaining the management skills
required to translate this knowledge into a
strategic plan
◦ Constantly devising new strategies and
management plans designed to move the
recordkeeping agenda forward.
◦ Finding creative ways to promote a partnerships
with Internal Audit, IT, etc.
◦ Translate a set of goals and objectives into a
realistic and effective implementation project.
◦ Must learn effective techniques for
communicating archival needs, capabilities and
contributions to non-archival professionals.
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 to
modeling and describing business processes.
Discussion Questions???
 Philip Bantin greatly advocates for the general
archivist to know technical jargon and able to do
basic tasks of modeling and describing data. Does
archival education need to include an extensive
course load in information technology? Should an
archivist have an IT degree or experience? Is an
informational science and technology background
more useful than a historical background in
dealing with electronic records in archives?
 Do papers like Bantin‟s “Skills Required to be an
Effective Manager of Electronic Records,” only
further reveal the large impact library schools
have on the archives profession?