For example, to preserve a digital file, such as an electronic book,
a copy must be made - something the law does not currently address. The
Library of Congress' digital preservation program, formally called the
National Digital Information
Infrastructure and Preservation Program, is sponsoring a formal study
group to address these issues.
Digital technologies are radically transforming how copyrighted works
are created and disseminated, and also how libraries and archives preserve
and make those works available. Cultural institutions, in carrying forward
their missions, have begun to acquire and incorporate large quantities
of "born digital" works (those created in digital form) into
their holdings to ensure the continuing availability of those works to
future generations. Yet it has been observed that Section
108 of the Copyright Act - which provides limited exemptions for libraries
and archives - does not adequately address many of the issues unique to
digital media, either from the perspective of rights owners or of libraries
and archives.