Digital Archiving - Contemporary Preservation

Abstract

Tommy Arvidson states in an article from 1999 that one should ’Depict contemporary life now, tomorrow it’s gone’1 [Arvidson(1999)] This statement is supported by the fact that significant amount of information created in our times is born digital. As such it is ephemeral in nature and many people are not aware of the risk involved by not actively managing this information. A digital personal archive could be a solution to this problem. This thesis is looking for an answer to the question; Can a personal digital archive on a national scale be established, and if so by whom?. To address this question a three-part structure has been devised leading up to a concluding argument. Throughout the work on this thesis this author have become more aware of the pressing need to organize and preserve personal information in a sustainable manner. However, to ensure that personal material is securely managed we need a centralized trusted service where people can feel safe that the material is being handed by trusted professionals who will secure access to preserve it for generations to come. Hopefully this thesis is the first step in establishing such a service.