It is vital to take the initiative and just start a preservation program. This is true even if the program is not perfect and there are not enough resources to complete the work. This is how several of Canada’s preservation programs started and it seems to work. Waiting for the ideal solution will likely lead to the loss of some media. More importantly, it could result in the loss of the information stored on the media.
Develop partnerships with larger organizations that already have preservation programs. This will help in the establishment of good practices and may provide insight in some of the more technically difficult areas. Partners may also have resources, such as specialized equipment or knowledgeable experts, that may not be available to smaller institutions.
Digital preservation may stretch an institution’s financial resources. If the historically or artistically significant recordings are saleable, issuing some of the sound recordings commercially may be an option to generate additional revenue. Alternatively, significant recordings could be made accessible as mp3 files through the museum’s Web site.
The advice in this document was developed after a meeting on Wednesday, June 13, 2007, with three of Canada’s smaller archives — all of which had successfully developed preservation programs for electronic recording media. We thank the following individuals for their contributions:
We are also grateful for the help of colleagues from Library and Archives Canada.
