Digital Preservation
Digital Preservation is the practice of keeping digital materials (like documents, photos, videos, and websites) safe and accessible for the long term. It's similar to how museums preserve physical artifacts, but for digital content. This field is important for libraries, museums, archives, and organizations that need to maintain their digital history. Professionals in this area make sure that important digital materials don't become unusable due to outdated technology or file formats. They use special storage systems and methods to protect against data loss and ensure future generations can still access these materials.
Examples in Resumes
Managed Digital Preservation projects for a university library's historic photograph collection
Implemented Digital Preservation and Digital Archives strategies for rare manuscript collections
Led Digital Preservation initiatives to protect and maintain access to institutional records
Typical job title: "Digital Preservation Specialists"
Also try searching for:
Where to Find Digital Preservation Specialists
Professional Organizations
Job Boards
Professional Networks
Example Interview Questions
Senior Level Questions
Q: How would you develop a digital preservation strategy for a large organization?
Expected Answer: A senior professional should discuss assessment of collection needs, budget planning, choosing appropriate preservation systems, staff training, and creating policies for long-term sustainability. They should mention risk management and disaster recovery planning.
Q: How do you stay current with evolving digital preservation standards and best practices?
Expected Answer: Should mention professional organizations, continuing education, conferences, and how they've implemented new standards in previous roles. Should discuss how they evaluate and adopt new technologies.
Mid Level Questions
Q: What methods do you use to ensure long-term access to digital materials?
Expected Answer: Should discuss file format migration, creating preservation copies, metadata standards, and regular integrity checking of digital files. Should mention documentation and maintaining access copies.
Q: How do you handle different types of digital materials in your preservation workflow?
Expected Answer: Should explain different approaches for various content types (text, images, audio, video), file format considerations, and how to maintain authentic copies while ensuring accessibility.
Junior Level Questions
Q: What is the difference between digital preservation and regular backup?
Expected Answer: Should explain that digital preservation involves long-term accessibility and maintaining usability of files over time, while backup is just making copies for short-term safety.
Q: What types of metadata are important for digital preservation?
Expected Answer: Should discuss basic descriptive, technical, and preservation metadata, explaining why each type is important for maintaining and finding digital materials over time.
Experience Level Indicators
Junior (0-2 years)
- Basic digital file management
- Understanding of metadata standards
- Knowledge of common file formats
- Basic preservation documentation
Mid (2-5 years)
- Digital preservation workflow management
- Format migration and conversion
- Collection assessment
- Preservation system maintenance
Senior (5+ years)
- Strategic planning and policy development
- Budget and resource management
- Team leadership and training
- Program assessment and improvement
Red Flags to Watch For
- No knowledge of basic preservation standards or best practices
- Lack of experience with metadata creation and management
- No understanding of digital file formats and their preservation needs
- Unable to explain different preservation strategies for various content types
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