The art of digital archiving

 By Sylvia Umana

In response to the growing presence of digital media in our everyday life, particularly with the rise of personal computers, smartphones, and the internet, nearly everyone has created digital content in some form. Whether it’s family photos, research databases, or institutional records.  However, despite the sheer volume of digital information being produced at a rapid pace, many individuals and organizations do not intentionally take the time to assess, gather, organize, and safeguard their digital content for long-term preservation and future access.

Before the digital evolution, preserving valuable personal or institutional material was straightforward, where people stored photographs in albums, labeled documents in files by simply buying a photo album or a pocket file, writing short notes behind the photograph to give some context, and storing the album or file in a safe place away from water, fire, or dust. This technique ensured access to these materials even decades later with no concern for technological obsolescence. In today’s digital era, however, a lot needs to be considered regarding the creation and storage of digital content due to its fragile nature. Digital archiving addresses this challenge by offering systematic methods for organizing, securing, and maintaining digital content to protect it from accidental loss and digital decay.

Digital archiving is becoming a foundational skill for both individuals and institutions. Whether managing personal materials, a research database, or an institutional collection—mastering the art of digital archiving is essential for long-term preservation and ease of access. It is a deliberate process of managing and preserving digital assets in a meaningful and lasting way. It incorporates intentional curation, structural organization, and technical strategies to ensure ongoing accessibility and ultimately preserve individual or institutional memory.

This article looks at some key aspects of digital archiving.

Identification and selection

The foundation of digital archiving starts with identifying and deciding what to preserve. The selection includes assessing what is worth keeping by considering the value of the content, format type, location, and size. This is important in ensuring that valuable content is not lost and determining which methods of preservation to employ and how much storage is needed, as well as how access to the collection will be provided. Thus, selecting and organizing digital photographs, articles, videos, and databases in a meaningful fashion by employing a selection criteria and combining a variety of aspects to create a pool of digital assets could be used to showcase a story or journey of an individual or an institution.

Metadata, structure and interpretation

Digital collections are only valuable if they can easily be found and understood. To achieve this, one needs to adopt effective digital archiving, which involves providing descriptive information such as metadata, file naming conventions, and organized folder structures. Descriptive file names (e.g., “2025_Project_Report.pdf” instead of “Doc1.pdf”) and logical categorization (e.g., by date, subject, or project) enhance searchability. Additionally, adding metadata such as keywords, dates, and subjects to the content turns raw data into a curated experience that guides users through the collection’s intellectual value.

Storage and preservation

Storage is an important part of digital archiving, as it ensures that digital content materials remain accessible, usable, and protected over time. Digital files must be stored in formats that support long-term accessibility. Unlike analogue materials, digital files are entirely dependent on storage media and technologies, both of which have a short life span. Effective digital archiving thus requires careful selection of reliable storage systems, frequent monitoring of technology changes, use of open and sustainable file formats, and the implementation of regular backups and monitoring. Additionally, to keep pace with technological changes with media formats, content must periodically be migrated to newer media or platforms.  

Access and user experience

For digital collections intended for broader access, whether internally within an organization or publicly online, usability is paramount. It is not enough to simply upload files without careful consideration given towards navigation, visual presentation, and ease of use of the website. Therefore, thoughtful design elements such as categorization, intuitive interfaces, and engaging layouts ensure that digital collections remain accessible and user-friendly.

Creating digital content is often the easy part. However, organizing, storing, and managing those files requires intentional thought, knowledge, skill, time, and effort. Digital archiving is complex, and it requires comprehensive strategies to protect and interpret our digital content as our lives grow more digitally connected. By approaching digital archiving as both a science and an art, we ensure that valuable digital content, whether personal, national, or institutional, is not lost due to digital clutter and technological advancements and that today’s digital footprint will enlighten tomorrow’s legacies.

References

Hodge, G.M. (2000). Best practices for digital archiving: An information life cycle approach.

D-Lib Magazine, 6(1), 1-15.  https://www.dlib.org/dlib/january00/01hodge.html

Leggett, E.R. (2016). Digitization and Digital Archiving: A Practical Guide for Librarians.

The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy, October 2016, 86(4), pp. 470-472

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26561694.pdf

Purcell, A.D. (Ed). (2019). The Digital Archives Handbook. Rowman & Littlefield.

Yakel, E. (2007). Digital curation. International digital library perspectives, 23(4),

335-340. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/10650750710831466/full/pdf