Establishing Value in The Digital Realm
Digital integrity can be classified as having artifactual value; however, as stated in Going Digital, this qualification varies and changes because of the nature of the medium and market. "The original document made available electronically is not necessarily what the viewer receives because of the strong influence of the equipment and software that both the recorder and the viewer happen to be using. Complicating the matter even further, equipment and software are subject to significant change in the short term and over time." A digital born object or a document that has migrated into a digital format can have artifactual value as long as the original software is linked with the document or image. If the software is updated or enhanced, the originality or integrity of the document or image is altered. Digital integrity's constancy fluctuates with the advancement of computer technologies. Certain documents and the partnering software may stay consistent for several years before an update trumps the current edition. This is a common viewpoint within the profession and one that reoccurs in this report.
The author's points stated in Going Digital is a proponent of the importance of congruity in software and content; however, in examining Preserving Digital Periodicals, the emphasis is on the text and especially in a specific format. “The core content of most periodicals is text. The text of a periodical or periodical article, however, can be created and maintained in a number of ways.” The text and content of a digital document is the focus and importance whereas the presentational platform can be modified or changed completely. Since the platforms of digital records will be altered more than once throughout its course, the importance of the content becomes the artifactual value. Only time will tell as opinions and perceptions of artifactual value for digital content changes within the library profession.
Read more about this topic: Digital Artifactual Value
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