DATA CURATION AND PRESERVATION: ORGANISATIONAL ISSUES

 This week we are continuing our journey on data curation and preservation and specifically organisational issues in this subject matter. As mentioned in our earlier topics, data curation refers to the continuous management of digital information across the lifecycle of records to ensure that records remain accessible, authentic, reliable and usable over time. Sinclair et al., (2011) point out that it is important to note that digital assets play a vital role in supporting governance, accountability, research and service delivery. Whilst technological advancements have significantly improved preservation capabilities, organisational dynamics remain a decisive determinant of the success or failure of digital curation initiatives. Some of the factors that might contribute to weaknesses in governance structures in the preservation of  digital records include human resources capacity and limited funding allocations, (Bermes & Fauduet, 2011).

One of the issues that affects data curation and preservation is organisational resistance to change. As with any other change in any specific area, people are always resistant to change, and this situation is no exception. Sinclair et al., (2011) explain that organisational readiness encompasses not only technical infrastructure but that also the cultural willingness of employees to adopt new systems and practices. Implementation of digital preservation systems requires substantial changes in workflows, institutional culture  and established work practices. Such transitions are frequently met with resistance from the workers who are used to traditional methods of managing information at the workplace. Eventually this resistance by the employees can lead to slowness in implementation of new systems, in the process weakening compliance to preservation protocols which can lead to compromise of curation activities.

The other issue is the poor interdepartmental coordination that usually exists in organisations when it comes to data curation issues. This subject matter is interdisciplinary in nature and demands collaboration with sections such as information and technology, records management, and administrations departments to mention but a few. According to Bermes and Fauduet (2011) effective interdepartmental collaboration is vital for maintaining consistency in metadata standards, workflows and preservation strategies. Where coordination is weak, preservation efforts tend to become fragmented and weak.

Finally let us now look at the legal and regulatory compliance challenges that are faced by organisations when they are dealing with data curation issues including preservation. Dapper and Farquhar (2009) point out that preservation policies must balance organisational objectives with regulatory requirements to ensure authenticity, legal compliance and trustworthiness of digital records. It is important to note that organisations operate within complex legal and regulatory environments that govern data protection, retention schedules, privacy and intellectual property rights, (Prom, 2011). It is important to understand that non-compliance to available frameworks in place not only increases legal risks but can also undermine stakeholder confidence in institutional information systems.

In conclusion, organisational factors play a fundamental role in determining the effectiveness of digital data curation and preservation systems. Resistance to change, poor interdepartmental coordination, weak sustainability planning and legal compliance are some of the challenges that significantly hinder the long term success of preservation initiatives. To address these issues, organisations need to have a holistic institutional strategy that integrates strong governance structures, policy development, capacity building, adequate resource allocation and leadership commitment. 


REFERENCES 

Bermès, E., & Fauduet, L. (2011). The human face of digital preservation: organizational and staff challenges, and initiatives at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. International Journal of Digital Curation, 6(1), 226–237. https://doi.org/10.2218/ijdc.v6i1.184

Dappert, A., & Farquhar, A. (2009). Modelling organizational preservation goals to guide digital preservation. International Journal of Digital Curation, 4(2), 119–134. https://doi.org/10.2218/ijdc.v4i2.102

Dappert, A., & Farquhar, A. (2011). Implementing metadata that guide digital preservation services. International Journal of Digital Curation, 6(1), 238–254. https://doi.org/10.2218/ijdc.v6i1.185

Dappert, A., Peyrard, S., Chou, C. C. H., & Delve, J. (2013). Describing and preserving digital object environments. New Review of Information Networking, 18(2), 106–173. https://doi.org/10.1080/13614576.2013.842494

Sinclair, P., et al. (2011). Digital preservation and organisational readiness: Challenges in implementation. International Journal of Digital Curation. (Commonly cited in digital curation readiness literature)

Prom, C. J. (2011). Preserving digital objects in institutional contexts: Sustainability and integration issues. Library Trends, 59(4), 725–740.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Data collection and repositories

     Welcome back everyone, I am glad to receive you once again on our blog. This is where we share informative and exciting stuff in our Library and Information Science profession. This week we are going to talk about data collection and data repositories and how these impact not only our profession but indeed the world as a whole. Data is collected on a daily basis and can be used in various aspects of our daily lives.This data can be used for research, academic work  and for our day to day lives and decision making. Data collection is a term used to describe a process of preparing and collecting data.It is the systematic gathering of data for a particular purpose from various sources that have been systematically observed, recorded and organised, (Lafta, 2018). Some of the purposes of data collection are to obtain information, to keep on record, make important decisions on issues and to pass information to others. Data is classified into  mainly into 2 major ...
Read more

DATA CURATION PRESERVATION ISSUES (THREATS TO DIGITAL MATERIALS )

This week we are looking at Data Curation Preservation Issues (Threats to Digital Materials). The Digital Preservation Coalition (2015) in Hurley and Marks (2023) defines digital preservation as the series of managed activities necessary to ensure continued access to digital materials for as long as necessary. Wisconsin (2004) emphasises that digital curation are the actions needed to maintain and utilise digital data and research results over their entire life cycle. Yakel (2007) in Dobreva and Duff (2015) explains digital curation as the active involvement of information professionals in the management, including preservation of digital data for future use.  This involves the selection, maintenance, dissemination, preservation and adding value to digital assets. Examples of these activities could include the development of repositories for digital resources, the creation and /or selection of digital assets, creation and management of metadata and management and provision for diss...
Read more

Data Storage

Image
 This week we are looking at how we can store data. The world now has enormous amounts of data and it is imperative that we devise convenient means on how we can store this data. Wilkinson et al., (2016) and Cox et al., (2019) explain that data  curation in data storage refers to the  structured and systematic management of digital information to ensure that it is securely preserved, well-organized and consistently accessible for future use.This is an importatnt aspect of the data curation life cycle  because the data does not only need to be collected and analyzed but must also be stored in a manner that supports long-term preservation, retrieval, sharing and reuse. In this regard effective storage underscores the reliability and sustainability of digital data assets in research and institutional environments ensuring that information remains usable beyond its initial purpose,  (Wilkinson et al., 2016; Cox et al., 2019). It is importatnt to understand that data...
Read more