Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Digital preservation practices for information resources in university libraries of Pakistan

Digital preservation practices for information resources in university libraries of Pakistan The digital contents (d-contents) are vulnerable to various threats either natural or manmade. Digital preservation is the plethora of a wide array of strategies necessary for the long-term preservation of digital objects. This study was carried out to assess the digital preservation practices for information resources in university libraries of Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative survey based on a structured questionnaire was carried out to conduct the study. The questionnaire containing two sets of strategies (general and technical) was distributed amongst the whole population and received 90% response rate.FindingsOverall, progressive implementation of general digital preservation practices was noted in these libraries like checking the digital collections for viruses, keeping the digital media in fire/water/theft proof locations, restricting unauthorized access, maintaining ideal humidity and temperature, and checking the digital media for functionality. Amongst the technical practices, only replication was in practice at a progressive rate, followed by metadata recording and media refreshing that was sometimes practiced in these libraries. The other technical practices were rarely or never practiced in these libraries. Significant variances in general and technical digital preservation practices were noted based on their physical locations (regional distribution).Research limitations/implicationsThe study contributes a comprehensive set of digital preservation practices divided into general and technical types to conduct similar studies in other parts of the world.Practical implicationsThe findings stress the need for national and institutional policies, funding streams and skill enhancement of library staff.Originality/valueThe study fills the literature gap and contributes a comprehensive set of digital preservation practices divided into general and technical types to conduct similar studies in other parts of the world.Peer reviewThe peer-review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-02-2023-0074 http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Online Information Review Emerald Publishing

Digital preservation practices for information resources in university libraries of Pakistan

Ahmad, Rafiq; Rafiq, Muhammad
Online Information Review , Volume 48 (4): 21 – Jul 11, 2024
Download PDF
21 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/digital-preservation-practices-for-information-resources-in-university-guixStt1MY

References (62)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
1468-4527
DOI
10.1108/oir-02-2023-0074
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The digital contents (d-contents) are vulnerable to various threats either natural or manmade. Digital preservation is the plethora of a wide array of strategies necessary for the long-term preservation of digital objects. This study was carried out to assess the digital preservation practices for information resources in university libraries of Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative survey based on a structured questionnaire was carried out to conduct the study. The questionnaire containing two sets of strategies (general and technical) was distributed amongst the whole population and received 90% response rate.FindingsOverall, progressive implementation of general digital preservation practices was noted in these libraries like checking the digital collections for viruses, keeping the digital media in fire/water/theft proof locations, restricting unauthorized access, maintaining ideal humidity and temperature, and checking the digital media for functionality. Amongst the technical practices, only replication was in practice at a progressive rate, followed by metadata recording and media refreshing that was sometimes practiced in these libraries. The other technical practices were rarely or never practiced in these libraries. Significant variances in general and technical digital preservation practices were noted based on their physical locations (regional distribution).Research limitations/implicationsThe study contributes a comprehensive set of digital preservation practices divided into general and technical types to conduct similar studies in other parts of the world.Practical implicationsThe findings stress the need for national and institutional policies, funding streams and skill enhancement of library staff.Originality/valueThe study fills the literature gap and contributes a comprehensive set of digital preservation practices divided into general and technical types to conduct similar studies in other parts of the world.Peer reviewThe peer-review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-02-2023-0074

Journal

Online Information Review – Emerald Publishing

Published: Jul 11, 2024

Keywords: Curation; Sustainability; Preservation strategies; Digitization; Higher education institutes; Replication; Data security

There are no references for this article.