Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T19:02:49.133Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Digital preservation and access

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

Julian D. Richards*
Affiliation:
University of York, UK
*

Abstract

There is a crisis in the publication and archiving of archaeological field data in Europe. Computerized data are more fragile than paper archives but also more accessible via the Internet. This article explores the role of the Archaeology Data Service and examines some of the issues raised by the collection of digital data and their dissemination online and the implications for the future of archaeological publication. It discusses approaches to digital data preservation, the development of archival standards and ways of encouraging reuse. It explores the development of distributed online catalogues and archives and the need for metadata standards for cataloguing resources. Finally, it considers the role of XML as an emergent technology and introduces the European ARENA project which is developing a digital preservation and access infrastructure.

Nous assistons à une crise dans la publication et l'archivage des données archéologiques en Europe. L'informatisation signifie que les données sont plus fragiles que si elles étaient conservées sur papier, mais en même temps plus facilement accessibles par Internet. Dans cet article, on examine le rôle du service des données archéologiques (Archaeology Data Service), on s'occupe de quelques-unes des questions se rapportant à la collection et à la propagation interactive des données numériques, et des conséquences pour l'avenir de la publication archéologique. On discute les différentes façons d'aborder la conservation des données numériques, le développement de critères d'archivage et comment encourager la réutilisation. On étudie l'évolution des catalogues et archives distribués interactivement et le besoin de normes metadata pour cataloguer les documents. Pour terminer, on réfléchit au rôle de XML comme nouvelle technologie et au projet européen ARENA développant la conservation numérique et une infrastructure d'accès.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © 2002 Sage Publications 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Austin, T., 1998. Tip of the iceberg in a digital sea: Scale of the Academic Digital Resource. Archaeology Data Service News 4. Available online at http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/newsletter/issue4.html Google Scholar
Austin, T., Robinson, D.J. and Westcott, K.A., 2001. A digital future for our excavated past. In Stančic, Z. and Veljanovki, T. (eds), Computing Archaeology for Understanding the Past: CAA 2000:289296. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports (International Series 931).Google Scholar
Austin, T., Pinto, F., Richards, J., and Ryan, N., 2002. Joined up writing: an Internet portal for research into the Historic Environment. In Burenhult, G. (ed.), Archaeological Informatics: Pushing the Envelope. CAA 2001:243251. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports (International Series 1016).Google Scholar
Baker, D., Chitty, G., Richards, J. and Robinson, D., 1999. Mapping Information Resources: A Report for HEIRNET. Available online at http://www.britarch.ac.uk/HEIRNET/repl.html Google Scholar
Barrett, J., 1987. The Glastonbury Lake Village: models and source criticism, Archaeological Journal 144:409423.Google Scholar
Beagrie, N. and Jones, M., 2002. Digital Preservation Handbook. Available online at http://www.dponline.org/graphics/handbook/index.html Google Scholar
Berners-Lee, T., 2001. The Semantic Web, Scientific American 501. Available at http://www.sciam.com/2001/0501issue/0501berners-lee.html Google Scholar
Brown, A., Brown, D., Coles, G., Dawson, D., Dodd, A., Gardiner, J., Lock, G., Longworth, C., Merriman, N., Miller, P., Murray, D., Reeve, J. and Wise, A., 1999. Digital Archives from Excavation and Fieldwork: Guide to Good Practice. Available online at http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/goodguides/excavation_1st_ed/ Google Scholar
Burnard, L. and Short, H., 1994. An Arts and Humanities Data Service. Report of a Feasability Study commissioned by the Information Systems Sub-Committee of the Joint Information Systems Committee of the Higher Education Funding Councils.Google Scholar
Carver, M., Chapman, H., Cunliffe, B., Hassall, T., Hebditch, M., Lawson, A., Longworth, I., Morris, R., Phillipson, D., Schofield, J. and Wainwright, G., 1992. Archaeological publication, archives and collections. Towards a national policy. London: Society of Antiquaries and the Museums Association (Printed as a supplement to British Archaeological News 7(2), York: Council for British Archaeology).Google Scholar
Condron, F., Richards, J., Robinson, D. and Wise, A., 1999. Strategies for Digital Data. Findings and recommendations from Digital Data in Archaeology: A Survey of User Needs. Available online at http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/strategies/ Google Scholar
Cunliffe, B.W., 1983. The publication of archaeological excavations: report of a joint working party of the Council for British Archaeology and the Department of the Environment. London: Department of Environment.Google Scholar
Eiteljorg II, H., 1995. The Archaeological Data Archive Project. In Huggett, J. and Ryan, N. (eds), Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology 1994:245247. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports (International Series 600).Google Scholar
English, Heritage, 1991. Management of archaeological projects, 2nd edn. London: English Heritage.Google Scholar
Fernie, K. and Gilman, P., eds, 2000. Informing the Future of the Past: Guidelines for SMRs. Swindon: English Heritage.Google Scholar
Fowler, P. and Blackwell, I., 1998. The Land of Lettice Sweetapple. An English Countryside Explored. Stroud: Tempus.Google Scholar
Fowler, P., 2000. Landscape Plotted and Pieced: Landscape History and Local Archaeology in Fyfield and Overton, Wiltshire. London: The Society of Antiquaries of London.Google Scholar
Frere, S.S., 1975. Principles of publication in rescue archaeology: report by a working party of the Ancient Monuments Board for England. London: Committee for Rescue Archaeology Google Scholar
Gaffney, V., and Exon, S., 1999. From order to chaos: publication, synthesis, and the dissemination of data in a digital age, Internet Archaeology 6. Available online at http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue6/gaffney_index.html Google Scholar
Gray, J. and Walford, K., 1999. One Good Site Deserves Another: Electronic publishing in field archaeology, Internet Archaeology 7. Available online at http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue7/gray_index.html Google Scholar
Hardman, C. and Richards, J.D., forthcoming. OASIS: dealing with the digital revolution. In Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology 2002, Oxford: British Archaeological Reports (International Series).Google Scholar
Harnad, S., 2001. The self-archiving initiative. Freeing the refereed research literature online. Nature 410:10241025 Google Scholar
Hassall, T., 1984. Publication: crisis and inaction. In Martlew, R. (ed.), Information Systems in Archaeology: 142152. Gloucester: Alan Sutton Publishing.Google Scholar
Hendley, T., 1998. Comparison of Methods and Costs of Digital Preservation. London: The British Library (British Library Research and Innovation Report 109).Google Scholar
Historic, Scotland, 1996. Publication and Archiving of Archaeological Projects. Edinburgh: Historic Scotland,Google Scholar
Hodder, I., 1989. Writing archaeology: site reports in context. Antiquity 63:268274.Google Scholar
Holmen, J. and Uleberg, E., 1996. The National Documentation Project of Norway the archaeological sub-project. In Kamermans, H. and Fennema, K. (eds), Interfacing the Past Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology. CAA 95, volume 1, published as Analecta Praehistorica Leidensia 28:4346, Leiden: University of Leiden.Google Scholar
Hoopes, J.W., 2000. Beyond the World Wide Web: present and future venues for scholarly online publication. Society for American Archaeology Newsletter 18(5):2022 Google Scholar
Jones, S., MacSween, A., Jeffrey, S., Morris, R. and Heyworth, M., 2001. From the Ground Up. The Publication of Archaeological Projects: A User Needs Survey. London: Council for British Archaeology. Available online at http://www.britarch.ac.uk/pubs/puns/index.html Google Scholar
Kenny, J., Kilbride, W.G. and Richards, J.D., forthcoming. Enter the ARENA: preservation and access for Europe's archaeological archives. In Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology 2002, Oxford: British Archaeological Reports (International Series).Google Scholar
Kilbride, W., 2000. Digital data and digital archaeology: Needle 1 – Haystack 0, The Archaeologist 38:2122 Google Scholar
Kilbride, W. and Winters, J., 2001. Observing the Game: What can access statistics really tell us? In Stančic, Z. and Veljanovki, T. (eds), Computing Archaeology for Understanding the Past: CAA 2000: 339345. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports (International Series 931).Google Scholar
Kilbride, W., Fernie, K., McKinney, P. and Richards, J.D., 2002. Contexts of Learning: The PATOIS project and Internet-based teaching and learning in Higher Education. Internet Archaeology 12. Available online at http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue12/patois_toc.html Google Scholar
McAdam, E., 1999. Archives: why don't we burn the lot? In Hansen, H. and Quine, G. (eds), Our Fragile Heritage: 97104. Copenhagen: National Museum of Denmark.Google Scholar
Merriman, N. and Swain, H., 1999. Archaeological archives: serving the public interest? European Journal of Archaeology 2(2):249267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, A.P., 1996. Metadata for the masses: what is it, how can it help me, and how can I use it? Ariadne 5. Available online at http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/ariadne/issue5/metadata-masses/ Google Scholar
Miller, A.P., 1999. The Importance of Metadata in Archaeology. In Dingwall, L, Exon, S., Gaffney, V., Laflin, S., and van Leusen, M. (eds), Archaeology in the Age of the Internet: Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology. CAA 97: 133136. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports (International Series 750).Google Scholar
Miller, A.P. and Greenstein, D., eds, 1997. Discovering Online Resources: A Practical Implementation of Dublin Core. Bath: UKOLN /AHDS.Google Scholar
Petrie, W.M.F. 1904. Methods and Aims in Archaeology. London: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Pitt-Rivers, A.L.F., 1887–1898. Excavations in Cranborne Chase. Vols 1–4. Privately printed.Google Scholar
Richards, J.D., 1997. Preservation and reuse of digital data: the role of the Archaeology Data Service. Antiquity 71(274):10571059.Google Scholar
Richards, J.D., 2001. Anglian and Anglo-Scandinavian Cottam: linking digital publication and archive, Internet Archaeology 10. Available online at http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue10/richards_index.html Google Scholar
Richards, J.D., forthcoming. Do we believe in the ‘data’ in the Archaeology Data Service? In Roskams, S. (ed.), Interpreting Stratigraphy: Papers presented at York. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports (International Series).Google Scholar
Richards, J.D., Miller, P. and Wise, A., 1999. Digital Archives in Archaeology. In Hansen, H. and Quine, G. (eds), Our Fragile Heritage: 123130. Copenhagen: National Museum of Denmark.Google Scholar
Richards, J.D. and Robinson, D.J., eds, 2000. Digital Archives from Excavation and Fieldwork: Guide to Good Practice, 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxbow Books. Available online at http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/goodguides/excavation/ Google Scholar
Ross, S., 2000. Changing trains at Wigan: digital preservation and the future of scholarship. London: National Preservation Office (NPO Preservation Guidance Occasional Papers).Google Scholar
Russell, K., 2000. Digital preservation and the Cedars project experience. The New Review of Academic Librarianship 6:139154.Google Scholar
Schloen, D., 2001. Archaeological data models and web publication using XML, Computers and the Humanities 35(2):123152. Available online at http://www.oi.uchicago.edu/e-ANE/e-ANE.html Google Scholar
Shanks, M., and Tilley, C., 1987. Social Theory and Archaeology. Oxford: Polity Press.Google Scholar
Wheeler, M., 1954. Archaeology from the Earth. Oxford: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Wise, A.L. and Miller, A.P., 1997. Why metadata matters in archaeology. Internet Archaeology 2. Available http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue2/wise_index.html Google Scholar
Wise, A.L. and Richards, J.D., 1999. Digital preservation in archaeology. In Dingwall, L, Exon, S., Gaffney, V., Laflin, S., and van Leusen, M. (eds), Archaeology in the Age of the Internet: Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology. CAA 97: 137142. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports (International Series 750).Google Scholar