RMIT University Archives Collection

The Digital Preservation Coalition defines digital preservation as:

the series of managed activities necessary to ensure continued access to digital materials for as long as necessary.

A good digital preservation practice begins when a digital record or artefact is created, in processes like file naming, format choice, and metadata capture. Creating digital materials without digital preservation processes in mind leaves them vulnerable.

What’s in scope? Any digital object where the lifecycle and use case is longer than the lifecycle of the infrastructure on which it was created. This includes born-digital and digitised, structured and unstructured, ephemeral, and essential objects. 

Digital preservation also enables deletion. Good digital preservation is about keeping control over the digital estate and thereby creating permission to dispose – what to get rid of, and when to get rid of it.  

Find out Why digital preservation matters (DPC website).

In 2022, on top of business as usual, RMIT University Archives have focussed on digital preservation initiatives and on making our collection more accessible through digital means. 

In August, RMIT University welcomed its first digital archivist, Nicholas Kelly. Looking after digital records now and into the future is a complex craft requiring specialist skills. Nick has developed workflows for three discreet digital collections: student records, course guides, and digital theses. An important part of Nick’s role is sharing his knowledge with other staff.   

We also joined the Australasia Preserves community of practice, and the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) as an Associate Member.

Risks and challenges

At present, the Archives team are the only people with access to our catalogue, and the content management system is not fit for purpose. 

There is also a lack of historical information, which coincides with the advent of digital records. We have some digital records on CD-ROM and floppy disc, but the content is ad hoc and increasingly inaccessible. Digital records are more fragile than analogue or paper due to:

• outdated file formats,
• corruptable software and hardware,
• scarce or inaccessible as technologies evolve,
• and data decay.

This current state poses many risks for RMIT. There are legal ramifications for non-compliance with the Public Records Act. RMIT’s cultural legacy is also at risk. For example, we were asked recently if we had records documenting the setup of RMIT Vietnam. Except for a box containing reports and publications donated this year by Professor David Wilmoth, records about this significant milestone have not been transferred to Archives.

As RMIT’s digital transformation is realised, a viable strategy needs to be put in place organisation-wide to ensure that RMIT’s heritage and culture can be preserved for future value. 

In 2023 the Library’s Collections team is undertaking a project to develop a digital archiving strategy and roadmap in 2023 which is a significant first step, but also the skills and knowledge of our staff, especially those developed by our digital archivist, are integral to its success.

In April 2022 RMIT University (under the auspices of the Library) joined the internationally renowned Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) as an Associate Member.

The DPC is a member organisation dedicated to the global issue of preserving our digital legacy. Two teams based in Glasgow and Melbourne support the membership via several activities including community engagement, workforce development, capacity building, and good practice and standards.

This new membership supports the Library's mission to ensure our digital memory is accessible today and into the future, and our goal to develop a strategy and capabilities across the University for the long-term preservation of our digital assets and cultural heritage.

There are many opportunities for digital uplift and knowledge exchange that come from being part of this global community of practice.

Benefits of membership include:

• Free access to regular webinars, courses and published resources and tools created by a community of international experts. There is no limit on staff numbers for attendance.
• Discounted fees to the annual international digital preservation conference iPres, and free access to recordings from previous conferences. The conferences have been in hybrid format since 2020, giving more people the chance to attend without having to incur the usual expenses.

A full list of membership benefits is available on the DPC website.

The University Melbourne and University of Monash are also members, as is the State Library Victoria, and various other state and national libraries and archives. We are now part of a strong and growing community in Australia and New Zealand.

RMIT staff and students can register as a DPC member and access the free webinars and other resources.