April 1, 2010 -- Traditional information sources such as books, photos and sculptures can easily survive for years, decades or even centuries but digital items are fragile and require special care to keep them useable.
The latest Library of Congress video, titled "Why Digital Preservation is Important for Everyone," is a high-level overview about how digital media is essentially different from traditional media and has different requirements for its preservation.
Rapid technological changes also affect digital preservation. As new technologies appear, older ones become obsolete, making it difficult to access older content. Data inaccessibility is a threat to consumers and institutions alike.
This video describes the situation in broad terms, showing how digital content – unlike content on traditional media -- depends on technology to make it available and requires active management to ensure its ongoing accessibility.
