Data curation and preservation issues- Summary

 

Data Curation and Preservation Issues (Threats to Digital Materials)

Data curation and preservation are essential activities that ensure digital materials remain accessible, usable, authentic, and understandable over time (Abbott, 2008). Digital materials include electronic records, research datasets, digital photographs, videos, audio files, e-books, websites and institutional documents. Digital information faces numerous threats that can compromise its long-term preservation despite the numerous advantages. Organisations, libraries, archives and research institutions need to understand these threats as it is crucial in seeking to safeguard valuable digital resources (Harvey, 2012).

Technological obsolescence is one major threat to digital materials as technology changes rapidly hence hardware, software and file formats can become outdated within a few years (Lavoie, 2014). For example, digital files stored on floppy disks or created using obsolete software may become inaccessible because modern computers no longer support those technologies. According to Harvey (2012), technological obsolescence is one of the greatest challenges facing digital preservation because digital information depends on technology for access and interpretation.

Media deterioration and physical damage is another significant threat to digital materials.  Harvey (2012) noted that although digital materials do not deteriorate in the same way as paper records, storage media such as hard drives, CDs, DVDs, magnetic tapes and flash drives have limited lifespans. Environmental factors such as heat, humidity, dust, and magnetic fields can damage storage devices and lead to data loss. Without regular monitoring and migration to new storage media, valuable digital information may become permanently inaccessible.

Data corruption and bit rot also pose serious risks to digital materials.  Bit rot occurs when digital files gradually degrade due to errors in storage systems, resulting in corrupted or unreadable files. Hardware failures, software bugs and transmission errors can contribute to data corruption. Preservation experts recommend regular integrity checks, backups and the use of checksums to detect unauthorized changes or corruption in order address this challenge (Lee and Tibbo, 2011).

Digital materials are vulnerable to hacking, malware, ransomware, viruses, and unauthorised access. Cyberattacks can alter, destroy, or encrypt digital records, making them inaccessible. Therefore, institutions responsible for preserving digital assets must implement strong security measures, including firewalls, encryption, access controls, and regular security updates (Corrado and Sandy, 2017).

Inadequate metadata and documentation can also threaten long-term access to digital materials. Sayao and Sales (2012) observed that metadata provides information about the content, context, structure, and management of digital objects. Without sufficient metadata, future users may be unable to understand, locate or verify the authenticity of preserved materials. Effective data curation requires the creation and maintenance of comprehensive metadata throughout the lifecycle of digital resources.

Digital preservation requires continuous investment in technology, storage infrastructure, skilled personnel and preservation activities. Many organisations face budget constraints that limit their ability to implement sustainable preservation programs. Inadequate institutional support and lack of preservation policies can further increase the risk of digital loss (Lavoie, 2014).

According to Huggins (2018), human error is another threat to digital material which is accidental deletion, improper handling, incorrect file management and inadequate backup procedures and these can result in the loss of valuable digital information. Staff training and clear preservation procedures are therefore critical components of successful data curation programs.

Harvey (2011) pointed out natural disasters such as floods, fires, earthquakes and storms as threats to digital collections. Although digital materials can be replicated more easily than physical records, disasters can destroy servers, storage devices and data centres if adequate disaster recovery plans are not in place.

In conclusion, digital materials face numerous threats including technological obsolescence, media deterioration, data corruption, cybersecurity risks, inadequate metadata, financial constraints, human error, and natural disasters.




References

Abbott, D. (2008). What is digital curation? Digital Curation Centre. https://www.dcc.ac.uk/guidance/briefing-papers/introduction-curation/what-digital-curation

Conway, P. (2010). Preservation in the age of Google: Digitization, digital preservation, and dilemmas. The Library Quarterly, 80(1), 61–79.

Corrado, E. M., & Moulaison Sandy, H. (2017). Digital preservation for libraries, archives, and museums (2nd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield.

Harvey, R. (2011). Digital curation: A how-to-do-it manual. Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Higgins, S. (2018). Digital curation: The emergence of a new discipline. Facet Publishing.

Lavoie, B. F. (2014). The Open Archival Information System (OAIS) reference model: Introductory guide (2nd ed.). Digital Preservation Coalition. https://www.dpconline.org

Lee, C. A., & Tibbo, H. R. (2011). Digital curation and trusted repositories. In M. Bates & M. N. Maack (Eds.), Encyclopedia of library and information sciences (3rd ed., pp. 1587–1595). CRC Press.

Sayão, L. F., & Sales, L. F. (2012). Data curation: A challenge for digital repositories. Online Information Review, 36(2), 179–191.

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