***Apologies for cross postings***
Good news the
already popular PDF file format adopted by consumers and business alike is one
of the most logical formats to preserve today’s electronic information
for tomorrow.
According to the
latest report released today by the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC),
Portable Document Format (PDF) is one of the best file formats to preserve
electronic documents and ensure their survival for the future. This
announcement will allow information officers to follow a standardised approach
for preserving electronic documents.
Information
management and long–term preservation are major issues facing consumers
and businesses in the 21st Century. This report is one of a series where
The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) aims to think about and address the
challenges facing us.
This report
reviews PDF and the newly introduced PDF/Archive (PDF/A) format as a potential
solution to the problem of long–term digital preservation. It
suggests adopting PDF/A for archiving electronic documents’ as the
standard will help preservation and retrieval in the future. It concludes
that it can only be done when combined with a comprehensive records management
programme and formally established records procedures.
Betsy Fanning,
author of the report and director of standards at AIIM, comments, “A
standardised approach to preserving electronic documents would be a welcome
development for organisations. Without this we could be walking blindly
into a digital black hole.”
The National
Archives works closely with the DPC with issues surrounding digital
preservation and will continue to do so. Adrian Brown, head of digital
preservation at The National Archives said: “This report highlights the
challenges we all face in a digital age. Using PDF/A as a standard will
help information officers ensure that key business data survives. But it should
never be viewed as the Holy Grail. It is merely a tool in the armoury of a well
thought out records management policy. “
The report is a
call to action, organisations need to act now and look hard at their
information policies and procedures to anticipate the demand for their content
(documents and records) in the future. Everybody has different criteria,
types and uses for documentation so you need to find one that works for your
organisation.
If you would like
to read the full report please go to the Digital Preservation Coalition
website. This can be accessed here: www.dpconline.org/graphics/reports/index.html#twr0802
For further information about:
·
The National Archives please contact, Tim Matthews, [log in to unmask],
or 020 8392 5277.
·
Digital Preservation Coalition please contact Frances Boyle, [log in to unmask] or 01904 435 320
About The Digital Preservation Coalition
(DPC)
The Digital
Preservation Coalition (DPC) is a cross-sector member organisation
established in 2001 to foster joint action to address the urgent challenges of
securing the preservation of digital resources in the UK and to work with
others internationally
For further information, see www.dpconline.org
***********************************************************************************************************************************
Carol Jackson
Administration and Events Manager
Digital Preservation Coalition
Innovation Centre
York Science Park
Heslington
YO10 5DG
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
tel: +44 (0) 1904 435 362
https: www.dpconline.org
The information
contained in this e-mail is confidential and may be privileged. If you have
received this message in error, please notify us and remove it from your system.
The contents of this e-mail must not be disclosed or copied without the
sender's consent. The content of this email does not constitute legal
advice. Neither the author of this message nor the represents
itself as an expert and neither can accept any responsibility for loss or
damage incurred as a result of acting upon information contained in this
email. We cannot accept any responsibility for viruses, so please scan
all attachments. The statements and opinions expressed in this message are those
of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the DPC, Registered
Office, Innovation Centre, York Science Park, Heslington, YORK YO10 5DG.
Registered in England No: 4492292
**********************************************************************************************************************************