RAND > Reports & Bookstore > Research Briefs > RB-9331

HomeGo to RAND HomeReports and Book Store Bookstore Sale: Selected publications 40% off AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Document Information

Digital preservation

The uncertain future of saving the past

Cover Image

By: Stijn Hoorens, Jeff Rothenberg

Digital objects are becoming a critical component of scholarly research, but stakeholders show an alarming lack of concern about preserving digital data accurately and sustainably: those charged with archiving information have not yet developed strategies that will enable future generations to build their knowledge on what has gone before. How will research findings be communicated in the future, and how true to the original look, feel and behaviour of these publications will digital archives need to be? Scenario planning can address the challenge of developing strategies in the face of these uncertainties to help librarians and archivists maintain the time-honoured tradition of preserving the past to inform the future.

See Also:

Free, downloadable PDF file(s) are available below.

Download PDF Full Document

(File size 0.1 MB, < 1 minute modem, < 1 minute broadband)

RAND makes an electronic version of this document available for free as a public service.

Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7.0 or higher for the best experience.

This product is part of the RAND Corporation research brief series. RAND research briefs present policy-oriented summaries of individual published, peer-reviewed documents or of a body of published work.

Permission is given to duplicate this electronic document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND Permissions page.

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.

* RAND research is conducted across divisions, centers, and projects; these organizational components are represented in the "Related RAND Divisions" section above.

Stay Informed Subscribe to RSS Feeds Search RAND Publications View Cart