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The power of imaginary users: Designated communities in the OAIS reference model
Author(s) -
Bettivia Rhian S.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
proceedings of the association for information science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.193
H-Index - 14
ISSN - 2373-9231
DOI - 10.1002/pra2.2016.14505301038
Subject(s) - digital preservation , inclusion (mineral) , meaning (existential) , the imaginary , work (physics) , power (physics) , term (time) , sociology , cultural heritage , public relations , state (computer science) , internet privacy , world wide web , computer science , engineering ethics , political science , social science , epistemology , psychology , engineering , law , physics , quantum mechanics , psychotherapist , mechanical engineering , philosophy , algorithm
This paper explores the Designated Community term within the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model. Information practitioners, particularly those who work with varied populations and popular materials such as public‐ or state‐sponsored libraries and museums, complain that this term is counter to their professional, ethical, and legal mandates to serve many types of user. Using interview data from digital preservation practitioners and scholars as well as interview data from OAIS authors, the author examines the meaning and history behind this term and what it prescribes for professional digital preservation practice. This work juxtaposes contentions of digital preservation practitioners with explanations provided by the authors of OAIS about the Designated Community term. The findings in this paper support the author's contention that alternative digital preservation models and metrics are necessary within cultural heritage institutions, like libraries and museums, to meet the professional standards of practice in those areas and to ensure the inclusion of broad populations within the user bases of digital repositories.