Digital Curation: A How-To-Do-It Manual

Abstract

ISBN: 978-155570-694-4 Digital preservation, a term that may familiar to readers, covers many of factors that place data at risk, such technological obsolescence, digital fragility, and data mainteHowever, Ross Harvey argues that preservation is only a part of the and much more is needed to that the digital data that are today will survive through and this process is called curation. [...]the term is defined so the reader better the content that needs and how the term has changed to technological advancements in recent years.

Ross. Digital duration: A Manual. New York, Neal-Schuman Publishers; 2010. (How-to-do-it manual for libraries, 170). 225 p. $75.00. ISBN: 978-155570-694-4

Digital preservation, a term that may familiar to readers, covers many of factors that place data at risk, such technological obsolescence, digital fragility, and data mainteHowever, Ross Harvey argues that preservation is only a part of the and much more is needed to that the digital data that are today will survive through and this process is called curation. Digital curation is as developing a set of techthat address "what comes preservation and what comes - that is, how the data are and how they are used before get to an archive or library and they will be used, and by whom, the future" (p. xvi). Essentially, curation is a holistic process looks at the entire lifecycle of the from creation through mainteand in preparation for how the may be adjusted or migrated in future. It is about making indecisions from the beginning ensure useful data later on.

Digital Curation: A ??t?-To-Do-It is largely based on the CuraLifecycle Model, developed by Digital Curation Centre (DCC), a organization that seeks to digital curation activities. model describes the processes of curation and serves as the of the majority of the book, separate chapters breaking out step in detail. The introductory frame the need for digital describing cyber scholaror data-driven scholarship and need for cyber infrastructure to the digital data. The author an overview of the DCC CuraLifecycle Model and several relevant models and includes to show the stages that transition through before puband after. Finally, the term is defined so the reader better the content that needs and how the term has changed to technological advancements in recent years. Each chapter ends with a summary and a list of references, which is helpful for quick perusal and for additional research on the topic.

The subsequent chapters take a much closer look at each stage of the DCC Curation Lifecycle Model and describe the basic requirements of each sequential step. Curiously, the only graphical representation of the model is on the back cover of the book. Each step, and its place in the framework of the model, could have been reinforced by including a picture of the model in each chapter. However, the chapters are clearly written with sections outlined at the beginning and crucial information broken out in text boxes in the margins. Plenty of examples and/or references are provided, and uniform resource locators (URLs) are included in the text for those who are interested in learning more. The chapters break down each step of the model so as not to be overwhelming. Each chapter includes a single step, such as designing data or preserving data, so users may easily refer back to individual chapters to revisit particular areas of interest. A companion website is also available that includes checklists, templates for developing plans, and additional links.

Digital Curation: A How-To-Do-It Manual is a comprehensive guide to designing, creating, describing, preserving, maintaining, and using or reusing data. This book should be useful for those looking for either a theoretical or practical approach to digital curation, as it embraces a model and standards, yet also provides instruction and many examples. Information professionals who are interested in beginning a digital project will find this book a helpful place to start.