Digital Preservation (challenges, preparedness and reaction)

The STORM (H2020 700191), experience give us evidence on how it is important to address risks coming from natural hazards with the proper preparedness. Anyhow the project left one face of the picture uncovered. The aim of this paper is to stimulate further discussions related to digitised documentation and digital cultural assets safety either if they are digital born or reproduction of real ones. In 2003, UNESCO released the “Charter on the Preservation of Digital Heritage”[1], which defines digital heritage as “made up of computer-based materials of enduring value that should be kept for future generations (UNESCO 2003)”. Digital heritage emanates from different communities, industries, sectors and regions. Not all digital material is of enduring value, but a paramount volume of digital objects, especially the digital documentation related to cultural heritage, require active preservation approaches regardless the technology evolution. . It should be a priority to preserve that digital patrimony as well as to preserve the physical one. For this reason we aggregate the two view points in the “Digital heritage”. The challenge is represented by the preservation from one side of the digital born objects (including all the cultural heritage documentation), from the other objects coming from the conversion of existing/disappeared ones, must be protected and preserved. We are facing day by day a wider scenario where gallery, library, archive, and museum (GLAM)[2] dependence from digital content preservation is growing so the need for a lifecycle management of digital materials is necessary to ensure their continuity.