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Showing posts from June, 2026

A SUMMARY OF DATA CURATION PRESERVATION ISSUES (BUDGET, COSTS, STAFFING AND SKILLS)

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Preservation issues Data curation and digital preservation are fundamental to ensuring that datasets remain accessible and reusable over time. Hassan (2025) defines data curation as the continual management and preservation of digital research data and materials throughout their lifecycle, ensuring long term accessibility for current and future users. Despite their importance, many organisations face challenges that threaten the sustainability of data curation and preservation initiatives. Among the most significant challenges affecting the sustainability of data curation and preservation are inadequate budgets, high costs and shortages of skilled personnel. These challenges are discussed below: BUDGET AND COSTS Budgeting is indeed one of the major challenges. Data curation and preservation require continuous financial support to maintain storage systems, preservation software, backup facilities and security measures. However, many organisations operate with limited budgets, whic...

SUMMARY OF ORGANISATIONAL ISSUES IN DATA CURATION AND PRESERVATION

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                                   Preservation Workflow (Giaretta, 2011, p. 163) Data curation is the continual management and preservation of digital research data and materials throughout their lifecycle, ensuring long-term accessibility for current and future users (Hassan, 2025).   However, institutions face significant challenges when implementing digital preservation. This paper summarises key organisational issues affecting digital preservation efforts. One of the most significant organisation issues affecting digital preservation is lack of clear policies and strategies. Long term access to digital resources depends heavily on documented strategies underpinned by clear policy and procedures. Without policies to ensure longevity, institutions cannot claim to be undertaking digital preservation. A realistic preservation policy acts as a roadmap for achieving sustained access...

DATA CURATION PRESERVATION ISSUES (THREATS TO DIGITAL MATERIALS)

  Digital Preservation: Common challenges of digital preservation Digital preservation is a collection of processes, activities, and digital information management practices that are implemented over time to ensure long-term accessibility of digital information. (Shar et al, 2021). Digital materials are inherently fragile, threatened by a range of technical, logistical, and human factors. The most fundamental threat is technological obsolescence Digital information is stored on a variety of devices and in a variety of formats, and as technology advances, older devices and formats become obsolete. This means that digital information stored in these older formats may become unreadable or inaccessible over time. (Verma & Sharma, 2023). Another significant threat is fragile storage media. Oladotun et al (2023) states that the initial problem with preservation of digital materials is the storage media itself. Materials in digital medium are prone to physical degradation, l...