"Time to change" – Effects and Implications of Digital Preservation in an Organizational Context
Michelle Lindlar
<p><strong>Abstract</strong><br>
Digital preservation is not a pure technical task &ndash; the first paragraph of the OAIS, the probably most cited work in the context of digital preservation, clearly says so: &ldquo;An OAIS is an archive, consisting of an organization, which may be part of a larger organization, of people and systems that has accepted the responsibility to preserve information and make it available for a Designated Community&rdquo; (CCSDS 2012). But what prerequisites does an institution have to fulfill for &ldquo;digital preservation readiness&rdquo;? And what effect does digital preservation have on the organization itself? How does the task digital preservation fare in juxtaposition with the necessary resources &ldquo;organization&rdquo;, &ldquo;people&rdquo; and &ldquo;systems&rdquo;? Digital preservation within an organizational context requires different layers of change: During the implementation process the necessary resources have to be allocated and aligned. Since digital preservation is a cross-sectional task, drawing from the expertise of different stakeholders, this may require organizational change in form of new team structures. Furthermore, digital preservation is a rather fluid task, which requires constant monitoring and adaptability. Both change layers &ndash; the initial one as well as the ongoing one &ndash; have direct effects and implications on an organization.</p>
digital preservation organization change processes