This assignment from Preservation Strategies (LI827) is an opinion piece rather than a research paper. This class introduced the vocabulary and principles of the preservation of library materials. We learned about practices used to preserve and conserve materials in libraries and archives, including planning for prevention and mitigation of environmental damage.
This assignment was to "develop a position paper" addressing what role digitization plays in preservation strategies. I read a number of articles on the theories and applications of digitization in the preservation realm, and began my discussion by citing Paul Conway's 2010 article, "Preservation in the Age of Google: Digitization, Digital Preservation, and Dilemmas." Conway makes a clear distinction between "digital preservation" and "digitization for preservation" and I support his assertion in my own position paper.
I explored several different types of materials suitable for digitization, including photographs and sound recordings. Using my blog Gr33n Wa6on from LI815 Information Technology as my format, I incorporated multimedia resources--including images and video--into my paper to illustrate my points. In my conclusion I suggest that the emotional, experiential connection to past media formats places additional demands on preservation as a concept. Preserving the content of analog material in a digital format does not always satisfy the true definition of preservation.
I explored several different types of materials suitable for digitization, including photographs and sound recordings. Using my blog Gr33n Wa6on from LI815 Information Technology as my format, I incorporated multimedia resources--including images and video--into my paper to illustrate my points. In my conclusion I suggest that the emotional, experiential connection to past media formats places additional demands on preservation as a concept. Preserving the content of analog material in a digital format does not always satisfy the true definition of preservation.