Given the instability of electronic records over time, how do we best retain the authenticity of the digital artefact? How can we trust that digital records will be preserved in such a way that they can safely be used as evidence of past actions? Over 20 years, the researchers and professionals working on the International Research on Permanent Authentic Records in Electronic Systems (InterPARES) Project have sought to answer these vexing questions. In doing so, they have produced a wealth of papers, presentations and reports outlining a suite of frameworks, policies and procedures that can be applied across cultures and jurisdictions, and to all types of data and information.
This welcome collection of articles synthesises the major findings; although largely written by Project members, some contributors are not shy in pointing out where certain recommendations may prove to be too idealised to be implementable, or where further research needs to be done. Such candour is unnerving when faced with the complexity and scope of the preservation crisis, but it also gives a much-needed human face to the Project as a whole.
The book outlines the importance of digital preservation, what strategies and processes need to be put in place to ensure that the right ‘bits’ are preserved, and interrogates the skills required for those doing the preserving. Trust and trustworthiness are recurring themes, especially in relation to the impact of those frequently twinned yet polarised desires for privacy and transparency. Trust, security and openness are discussed in relation to cloud storage and systems, open government and citizen engagement, good records governance, cloud-based records retention and disposition requirements, and Indigenous views of digitised information. A central chapter on the InterPARES Project’s report on Preservation as a Service for Trust (PaaST) outlines the criteria that can be used to identify and preserve a ‘preservation target’ and introduces the notion of ‘preservation environments’. This detailed description of a best-practice approach finishes with a sober warning that most archival and recordkeeping institutions are currently lacking in practical digital preservation policies.
The final two chapters suggest that records professionals must keep abreast of new technologies and embrace the strategic and managerial skills necessary to advocate for successful and sustainable digital preservation practices. Those entering the profession will need to be trained in digital recordkeeping, digital curation, data science and system design in order to fulfil the requirements of the twenty-first century information professional. It could be argued that the same competencies are essential for fully appreciating this book: students and the general reader may struggle with some of the topics under discussion (blockchain as a method for sustaining the authenticity of digital signatures and digital certificates, for example). GLAM workers and records and information managers, however, will find much food for thought, and no doubt much cause for concern.