Archivematica outside the box. Piloting a common approach to digital preservation at the Five College Libraries
| Published date | 08 May 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/DLP-08-2016-0037 |
| Pages | 117-127 |
| Date | 08 May 2017 |
| Author | Shaun Trujillo,Meghan Bergin,Margaret Jessup,Johanna Radding,Sarah Walden McGowan |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Records management & preservation,Information repositories |
Archivematica outside the box
Piloting a common approach to digital
preservation at the Five College Libraries
Shaun Trujillo
Library, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts, USA
Meghan Bergin
W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst,
Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
Margaret Jessup
Libraries, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA, and
Johanna Radding and Sarah Walden McGowan
Frost Library, Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
Abstract
Purpose –This work aims to provide a report on adopting a consortial model of collaboration toward
understandingdigital preservation practice.
Design/methodology/approach –This work provides a case study detailingthe work and outcomes of
a digital preservationpilot project undertaken by the Five College Librariesbetween 2014 and 2015.
Findings –Digital preservationis a broad endeavor and rapidly developing facet of digital collectionsand
institutionalrepositories; yet, it is often an area that is not fully understood or implemented by many libraries
and archives, largely because institutions lack the necessary resources to do it alone. Working across
institutional lines providesa possible solution to overcoming resource limitations and general challengesfor
pursuingrobust digital preservation programs.
Research limitations/implications –Findings reportedin this work are based on a limited-scope pilot
project.Several questions laid out during the pilot remain unansweredat its close.
Originality/value –This paper provides insight into an experimental process rarely reported in library
and information science literature. The goal of the paper is to provide a reference point for institutions
pursuinga consortial approach to the challenges of applied digitalpreservation practice.
Keywords Digital preservation, Consortial collaboration, Pilot projects, Preservation planning,
Preservation tools, Software trials
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Between July 2014 and May 2015, library staff from the Five Colleges (Amherst,
Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith and UMass-Amherst) undertook a project to explore
facets of digital accessioning and preservation using an open-source platform called
Archivematica (2016). This pilot project was spearheaded by a working group
assembled by the Five College Digital Preservation Task Force, a consortial group
focused on the challenges of digital preservation with interest in pursuing a
collaborative approach to digital stewardship at the Five Colleges (FCs). The pilot
Common
approach
to digital
preservation
117
Received 18 Augus t 2016
Revised 27 September 2016
Accepted 27 September 2016
DigitalLibrary Perspectives
Vol.33 No. 2, 2017
pp. 117-127
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2059-5816
DOI 10.1108/DLP-08-2016-0037
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