Networking for Digital Preservation

Libraries all over the world have to deal with fast growing numbers of digital materials that need to be safeguarded. Publications in digital form, online or on CD, digitised images, and born-digital objects need to be preserved and kept accessible. Safeguarding digital heritage is a major issue, especially for national libraries, because of their legal task of preserving the national heritage of a country. Does day-to-day practice in storing and accessing digital objects illustrate a mutual need for certain standards? Are there currently any standards for the development and building of digital repositories, and how are these being applied? Are there common standards in research on permanent access? Or is it still too early to speak of standards, and is it only possible to distinguish best practices? This volume describes the state of the art of digital repositories, preservation strategies and current projects in the national libraries of Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the USA.