Highlighting the archives perspective in the personal digital archiving discussion

Abstract

PurposeThe topic of personal archives has mainly been discussed by two research traditions in information science: archives and records management, and personal information management. The purpose of this paper is to compare a corpus of the archival literature written by the archival community with the concepts and challenges posed by Catherine Marshall, who exemplifies the personal information management approach. Many of the personal digital archiving challenges that Marshall identifies are related to discussions within the archival community.Design/methodology/approachIn order to demonstrate the similarities between Marshall's work with the archival discussion about personal archiving, Marshall's challenges, tasks and attributes of personal digital archiving were compared with a total of 33 articles from two library and information science databases.FindingsMany of the personal digital archiving challenges that Marshall identifies are related to discussions in the archival community. The author suggests that certain aspects of the archival literature may be utilized to address Marshall's identified challenges. Lastly, future collaborations between members of the archival community and members of the personal information management community may prove useful in addressing the challenges of personal digital archivingOriginality/valueThe paper demonstrates that two areas of information science share ideas about how to address the issues related to personal archives, but rarely consult one another when writing about personal digital archiving. The author highlights the archives and records management tradition in an attempt to introduce the literature to the broader discussion on personal digital archives being had by the personal information management tradition.

Data organization and preservation in the context of digital and networked media

“…Other authors (Bruce, Jones and Dumais 2004, Williams, Leighton John and Rowland 2009, Huvila, Eriksen, Häusner and Jansson 2014 have also discussed these issues and concluded that individuals exhibit different levels of awareness, employ different keeping methods and different archiving and preservation strategies and practices while appreciating the ability to use information in the future and to benefit from its pluralisation. Personal information management has also been considered and discussed in the context of archival practices and personal digital archiving (Cushing 2010). And while Cushing discussed conceptual positioning of the topic, Bergman (2010) emphasized methodological issues by identifying 15 variables that characterize different personal information management behaviours.…”

“…Thus we can conclude that there is and will be a great need for vocational education and training for digital curators who will use their skills for long-term preservation and management of digital data and content in information institutions and cultural and heritage institutions. As literature suggests and some studies indicate (Cushing 2010, Fourie 2011, Marčetić 2014, the general population, as well as members of academia, often need or rely upon the help from information professionals when it comes to organizing, preserving and curating their digital assets and memories for life; and will do so in the future, especially in the context of creating great amount of data on a daily basis. When one thinks of concepts that are already here, such as big data, cloud computing and smart systems, and of those that are coming in the future, such as hyper-reality technologies and quantum computing, anticipation and careful planning have become just as important as raising awareness.…”

“…These studies showed that people use several common organization and preservation methods when it comes to personal digital archiving and that self-archiving software and technology should be able to offer different features and modules in order to satisfy end-user needs. Most of the previous studies (Stone 1982, Ellis 1993, Bruce, Jones and Dumais 2004, Burrows 2006, Beagrie 2006, Cushing 2010, Fourie 2011, 2012, Marčetić 2014, Huvila, Eriksen, Häusner and Jansson 2014 have explored methods and practices of information organization and preservation, i.e. personal digital archiving among researchers in different scientific fields (humanities, social sciences, etc.…”

“…When one thinks of concepts that are already here, such as big data, cloud computing and smart systems, and of those that are coming in the future, such as hyper-reality technologies and quantum computing, anticipation and careful planning have become just as important as raising awareness. This is why cultural and heritage institutions need to stay alert (Fourie 2011), they need to interact with other professionals and they need to collaborate among themselves in managing their curation services (Cushing 2010). Being a successful digital curator, whether an individual or an institution, implies educating and training oneself not only for today, but for tomorrow.…”

“…Lately, digital curation has started dealing with issues such as personal information management and personal digital archiving thus making a question of how people organize and safekeep their personal digital documents and data even more important. But digital curation goes beyond personal information practices -it influences the management of library and archive services and practices of information professionals (Beagrie 2005, Fourie 2011, Cushing 2010. Marshall (2007Marshall ( , 2008aMarshall ( , 2008bMarshall ( , 2011 presented some key issues and challenges related to personal information management, such as devising a proper strategy and selection criteria, determining the value of digital belongings, enabling search and retrieval from long-term storage, ensuring long term access and survival of digital belongings, and displaying curatorial effort and successful planning.…”