Workflow guidelines for digital content preservation: A snapshot of current practice

Abstract

Effective management of incoming born-digital content can be informed by a review of the decisions being made and the methods being used at organisations in the digital preservation community, and the best practice resources that are available online and in print. A survey administered in 2016 captures a snapshot of solutions, recommendations and complaints by practitioners in the field. Three workflow models are compared with the survey results and synthesised for clarity and practicality. Within each stage of the workflow guidelines, functions are defined and tools suggested, based on survey results. Recommendations are outlined for next steps towards the development of best practices.