From: Neil Beagrie <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 12:24:09 +0000

‘Preservation, Trust and Continuing Access for e-Journals’

*Apologies for cross posting*

‘Preservation, Trust and Continuing Access for e-Journals’ is the
latest in the Digital Preservation Coalition’s (DPC) series of
Technology Watch Reports released on 30th October. Written by Neil
Beagrie, and published in association with Charles Beagrie Ltd., this
report was released yesterday at the DPC’s much anticipated
‘e-Journals Summit’ at the RIBA headquarters at 66 Portland Place,
London.

Endorsed by LIBER (The Association for European Research Libraries),
the report discusses the critical issues of preservation, trust and
continuing access for e-journals, particularly in light of the dynamic
and interdependent resources they have become, as well as the
ever-growing trend towards open-access.

With extensive experience in this field and a particular reputation
for his policy advice on e-journals and the cost/benefits of digital
preservation for Jisc and others, Neil tells us that these “issues
have become increasingly important for research libraries as published
journals and articles have shifted from print to electronic formats;
and as traditional publishing business models and relationships have
undergone major transformations as a result of that shift.”

With these issues in mind, the report provides a comprehensive review
of the latest developments in e-journal preservation, outlining key
considerations and an application of best practice standards. The
report introduces a range of service providers that now support
continuing access and/or preservation of e-journals and how research
libraries have increasingly come to trust them.

Neil explains that “for trust to be established between libraries and
digital preservation services there needs to be clear agreements for
long-term archiving, and clear procedures and mechanisms for those
agreements to be implemented and validated when necessary across all
elements of the supply chain.”

Matthew Herring from the University of York is sure that the report
provides answers to these requirements, calling it “a clear,
comprehensive and informative introduction to the area… if I was
trying to grapple for the first time with long-term e-journal access,
I would find this a very helpful guide.”

Oya Y. Rieger, Associate University Librarian for Digital Scholarship
and Preservation Services at Cornell University Library agrees, adding
that “due to inherent risks associated with digital media, the initial
focus of earlier preservation studies was much more on technology
issues. Neil’s comprehensive analysis illuminates the complex and
integrated nature of technical, policy, business, and trust issues
underlying e-journal preservation.”

While ‘Preservation, Trust and Continuing Access for e-Journals’
predominantly addresses issues felt most keenly by libraries, scholars
and publishers, the report also includes generic lessons on
outsourcing and trust learnt in this field of interest to the wider
digital preservation community. It is not solely focussed on
technology, and covers relevant legal, economic and service issues.

The not-for-profit DPC is an advocate and catalyst for digital
preservation. The coalition ensures its members can continue to
deliver resilient long-term access to digital content and services
through knowledge exchange, capacity building, assurance, advocacy and
partnership. Its primary objective is raising awareness of the
importance of the preservation of digital material and the attendant
strategic, cultural and technological issues. The DPC’s Technology
Watch Reports support this objective through an advanced introduction
to topics that have a major bearing on its vision to ‘make our digital
memory accessible tomorrow.’

You can download the pdf file and read the report ‘Preservation, Trust
and Continuing Access for e-Journals’ now.

Sarah Norris
Senior Project Officer
Digital Preservation Coalition
Innovation Centre, York University Science Park
Heslington, YORK YO10 5DG

http://www.dpconline.org/
Email: [log in to unmask]
Phone: +44 (0) 1904 567654
Twitter: @Sarah_DPC