Challenges to born-digital institutional archiving: the case of a New York art museum

Date11 November 2014
Published date11 November 2014
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/RMJ-04-2014-0023
Pages238-250
AuthorAnthony Cocciolo
Subject MatterInformation & knowledge management,Information management & governance
Challenges to born-digital
institutional archiving: the case
of a New York art museum
Anthony Cocciolo
School of Information and Library Science, Pratt Institute, New York,
New York, USA
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the challenges to born-digital institutional
archiving using a New York Archive Museum (NYAM) as a case.
Design/methodology/approach The digital record-keeping practices at NYAM were studied
using three data sources: focus groups with staff, totaling 81 individuals, or approximately one-third of
all staff; analysis of network le storage; and analysis of digital records in archival storage, or
specically removable media in acid-free archive boxes.
Findings This case study indicates that the greatest challenges to born-digital institutional
archiving are not necessarily technological but social and cultural. Or rather, the challenge is getting
individuals to transfer material to a digital archive so that it can undergo the technological
transformations needed to ensure its long-term availability. However, transfer is impeded by a variety
of factors which can be addressed through education, infrastructure development and proactive
appraisal for permanent retention.
Practical implications This paper highlights the challenges to born-digital institutional
archiving, yet notes that these challenges can be overcome by following a multi-pronged approach.
Originality/Value – This paper outlines the challenges to born-digital institutional archiving, which
is not often discussed in the literature outside of the context of higher education.
Keywords Electronic records management, Born-digital archives, Museum archives
Paper type Case study
Introduction
In the eld of archival studies, there has been growth in the literature related to
born-digital archiving. Notable informational and educational resources include the
“AIMS Born-Digital Collections” report, Society of American Archivists’ Digital
Archives Specialist (DAS) curriculum and the BitCurator project (AIMS Work group,
2012;SAA, 2014;Lee et al., 2012). One commonality shared by these projects is an
emphasis on born-digital archiving for donation-based or acquisition-based collecting,
where an archives or special collection needs to confront obsolete born-digital media or
le formats included within a donation or acquisition. Although this problem too
confronts institutional archives, it is only a small facet of the entire born digital
archiving challenge. This paper will explore the challenges to born-digital institutional
archiving through the case study of an art museum headquartered in New York, which
will be referred to in this paper as New York Archive Museum (NYAM) for brevity.
Born-digital institutional archiving refers to the task of selecting, preserving and
providing access to the born-digital documentation created by an institution with
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0956-5698.htm
RMJ
24,3
238
Received 7 April 2014
Revised 25 September 2014
Accepted 29 September 2014
Records Management Journal
Vol. 24 No. 3, 2014
pp. 238-250
© Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0956-5698
DOI 10.1108/RMJ-04-2014-0023

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