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Digital media archives preserve digital media such as music, art, and websites for future generations. They face challenges such as impermanence and data loss, but redundancy and restoration techniques help ensure preservation. Access is restricted to prevent damage or theft.
A digital media archive is a repository that maintains digital media such as music, digital art installations, website archives, and so on. There are numerous archives of digital media found around the world, many of which specialize in materials of specific interest, such as music from particular cultures or Internet commentary on important historical events. Many National Archives also maintain a digital media archive to ensure the preservation of digital artwork created by their citizens or in their nation.
Digital media can be surprisingly impermanent. A website can be taken down, a compact disc can be damaged, a hard drive can be destroyed. Digital media archives aim to create a permanent and stable record so that materials of historical or cultural interest can be preserved for the benefit of future generations. That archive can be as small as a collection kept in someone’s office or as large as a collection in a facility such as the Library of Congress.
Successfully archiving digital media is actually quite challenging. Some data storage methods have proven impermanent, and in some cases collections in a digital media archive have actually been lost because the storage platforms have been damaged, making it impossible to access the data. Redundancy is common in a digital media archive, to ensure that if damage occurs, the digital media can survive in another form. For example, if digital media is stored on hard drives in the basement of a facility, it will also be backed up in an offsite location.
Another important aspect of a digital media archive can be cleaning and restoring old data. If the data has been corrupted, it may be possible to repair and restore it so that it can be kept in the archive. The skills acquired by those involved in preserving digital media can also be useful in forensics, when law enforcement agencies can request assistance in reconstructing the contents of hard drives or recovering data that at first glance may seem inaccessible.
The storage conditions are maintained in the structure to protect the materials stored inside. Archive custodians periodically review the collection in a digital media archive to confirm that all data in the facility is still accessible and to look for signs of problems that could cause damage to the data. For example, a curator may notice that compact discs used as a form of permanent storage become warped, which could compromise the data stored on the discs, necessitating the transfer of the data to a more permanent medium.
Access to a digital media archive is often restricted, to ensure that information is not damaged or stolen. People wishing to visit to conduct research can apply with a curator, who can make arrangements for a visit.
