Course content

The course delves into the challenges of the preservation and reuse of digital records and how authenticity, reliability, integrity and usability can be secured for digital records over time. What are the characteristics of the IT systems and what methods and technologies are most suitable? A key challenge in the long-term preservation of digital information is related to migrations from large IT systems to descendant solutions. The course goes further into issues around intentional and unintentional loss of information in long-term preservation, what kind of documentation you need to have about predecessor solutions, evidence-chain problems and solutions. The course also discusses the requirements for organization and management of institutions that are to conduct long-term conservation on behalf of themselves and others. The course is based on cooperation with the Norwegian health archive, Tynset. The course further develops knowledge from the courses LBAS2004 Digital repository and LBAS1004 Digital competence in the bachelor's program in archives and collections management.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

The student:

• has advanced knowledge about current methods for long-term preservation of digital records
• has thorough knowledge about weaknesses and strengths related to the different methods for the long-term preservation of records
• has knowledge about different international approaches to digital preservation, and how different legal traditions and understanding of important terms and issues in the records management field influence what methods that can and are used for digital preservation.
• has advanced knowledge about challenges related to the properties of records and how these change over time, and how the methods chosen for long-term preservation influence and is influenced by the records user community or group

Skills

The student :

• can do a qualified evaluation of the most suitable methods for the long-term preservation of records
• can do a quality assessment and discover weaknesses of plans and governing documents that are created when establishing services for digital preservation
• can establish an overview of all activities that needs to be done from the preservation value of the content of a system containing records until the next cycle of migration has been completed in a digital repository

General knowledge

The student:

• can participate in a substantial degree in establishing and having responsibility for the running of a service for long-term preservation of digital records, either as a part of a large organization or being the responsible for long-term preservation in a municipality or smaller organization

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, seminars and group work.

Compulsory assignments

• Qualification essay

Recommended previous knowledge

LBAS1002, LBAS1004, LBAS2004

Course materials

The reading list will be updated and available at the beginning of the semester. See Blackboard for further details.