This article explores historical, political, and professional paradoxes that underlie efforts to preserve cultural heritage. These paradoxes are illustrated through five case studies: the discovery of the Nag Hammadi bindings, approaches to the preservation of Auschwitz, the Danish cartoons depicting Muhammad, the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas, and the creation of a protective structure for the Hamar Cathedral ruins. Although it is not possible to preserve everything, it is suggested that the shift from the traditional custodial model of caring for collections to one with greater community input may lead to new preservation strategies—and to new ways of defining preservation. Through our attempts to preserve under highly complex circumstances and equally complex issues, our standard notions of what constitutes preservation come into question, and some aspects of preservation remain paradoxical.

70T h e A m e r i c a n A r c h i v i s t , V o l . 6 5 ( S p r i n g / S u m m e r 2 0 0 2 ) : 7 0 -1 0 6Preservation Strategies for Electronic Records: Where We Are Now-Obliquity and Squint?Michèle V. Cloonan and Shelby Sanett A b s t r a c tThis article reports on a survey of the activities of thirteen institutions and projects in the United States and abroad that employ or are exploring strategies to preserve authentic electronic records. These strategies include preservation techniques (e.g., refreshing, migration, emulation); selection for preservation; staffing configurations; cost modeling; access to preserved records; and policymaking. Particular attention is paid to three broad areas: the evolution of the definition of "preservation," the role of costing in preserving electronic records, and the gap in policy development in which to situate and strategize the present and future preservation of electronic records. By documenting the variety of approaches that are being taken, the authors seek not only to shed light on current practices, but also to offer informed consideration on where preservation might be headed.

The authors are conducting a three-part study to evaluate current trends in the preservation of digital content, with an emphasis on electronic records. The study emanated from the authors' work on the Preservation Task Force of the International Research on Permanent Authentic Records in Electronic Systems (InterPARES) project. This article incorporates the findings of both the survey and individual key-informant interviews that we conducted from August 2001 through February 2003, as round 2 of the study. Round 2 builds on the 2000-2001 round 1 survey that sought to identify and describe strategies for preserving electronic records. In this second round the authors found that progress has been made in some areas while it is still lags in others.1 The full study consists of three phases: round 1 identified and surveyed 13 institutions, projects, and programs in North America, Australia, and Europe. Round 2 surveyed eight of the 13 institutions again to follow up on their progress. Additionally, we interviewed 18 key informants, including archivists and librarians. In round 3 the authors will each conduct one case study drawn from the survey participants in rounds 1 and 2. By the end of the three rounds, the authors will have studied a continuum of activities (over a six-year period) that constitutes a range of digital preservation strategies. The study will have charted the change in technological developments over this period—developments that have occurred in our survey institutions to meet the requirements of their mandates to preserve digital content for as long as needed.

This article introduces the concept of monumental preservation, which the author defines as the preservation of all cultural phenomena, because from the smallest item to the greatest monument all things emanate from and reflect culture. The imperative to preserve monuments is the imperative to preserve our cultural heritage. Whether there is a moral responsibility to preserve cultural heritage may be considered from philosophical, political, and legal perspectives.

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