[PADG:947] RLG AND OCLC EXPLORE DIGITAL ARCHIVING

["Robin Dale" <Robin_Dale@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

** This message is being cross-posted.  Please excuse any duplication.**


RLG AND OCLC EXPLORE DIGITAL ARCHIVING

Mountain View, California, March 10, 2000--The Research Libraries Group and OCLC
Online Computer Library Center have begun discussing ways the two organizations
can cooperate to create infrastructures for digital archiving.

As a first step, OCLC and RLG have begun to collaborate on two working documents
to establish best practices.  _Attributes of a Digital Archive for Research
Repositories_ will outline the characteristics of reliable archiving services,
and _Preservation Metadata for Long-Term Retention_ will propose approaches for
descriptive and management metadata needed in the long-term retention of digital
files.  RLG and OCLC will bring key players together to review progress to date
and identify common practices among those most experienced in the archiving
arena.  The draft working papers will then be reviewed by key stakeholders
around the world.

The papers are expected to serve as a basis for further exploration of roles and
responsibilities of RLG, OCLC and others.

Research repositories globally are working to develop infrastructures for
identifying, acquiring, managing and accessing digital materials. Organizational
models for successful digital archives being tested  Europe, Australia and North
America hold promise for institutional and collaborative approaches to a wide
range of operations and facilities.

"OCLC has long recognized the importance of digital archiving to libraries, and
over the last few years has initiated several projects to explore technologies
OCLC might use to provide long-term access to digital materials," said Jay
Jordan, OCLC president and CEO.  "This partnership with RLG holds great
potential for libraries around the world."

"Long-term retention of digital research resources is one of RLG's three top
priorities in the new decade," said James Michalko, RLG's president.  "We all
know that effective solutions to problems in digital archiving require different
players to apply their strengths and perspectives in complementary ways.  I'm
pleased that OCLC and RLG are doing just that."

The draft documents will be made available on the RLG and OCLC Web sites, and
comments will be invited from interested parties before final publication.  More
information is available from Nancy Elkington, RLG program officer
<nee@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, or Meg Bellinger, president, Preservation Resources
<bellingm@xxxxxxxx>.

                          *        *        *        *

Headquartered in Mountain View, California, the Research Libraries Group <
http://www.rlg.org> is a not-for-profit membership corporation of over 160
universities, national libraries, archives, historical societies, and other
institutions.  In addition to a range of collaborative activities that address
members' shared goals, RLG develops and operates databases and software to serve
the information needs of member and nonmember institutions and individuals
around the world.

Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC Online Computer Library Center <
http://www.oclc.org/>is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and
research organization whose computer network and services link more than 36,000
libraries in 76 countries and territories.  OCLC is dedicated to the public
purposes of furthering access to the world's information and reducing
information costs. OCLC is a registered trademark of OCLC.  Preservation
Resources is a trademark of OCLC. More information about OCLC, its affiliated
U.S. regional networks, service centers, international divisions, and
distributors is available at the OCLC Web site.

Preservation Resources <http://www.oclc.org/oclc/presres/> is a nonprofit
organization devoted to the reformatting or conversion of library and archival
materials.  Originally called MAPS (Mid-Atlantic Preservation Service), the
organization was established in 1985 to serve the preservation microfilming
needs of five Mid-Atlantic research libraries--Columbia University Libraries,
Cornell University Library, Princeton University Library, New York State Library
and the New York Public Library.  It has been a division of OCLC since 1994 and
is based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jennifer Hartzell +1-650-691-2207
jlh@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Nita Dean +1-614-761-5002
nita_dean@xxxxxxxx