Currently, permanent records housed with RDA are managed through databases that were built over 15 years ago, with technology that was intended to serve as an access system, not a preservation system. Digital preservation is widely accepted in the international community as a series of managed activities required to ensure continued access to digital materials for as long as they are needed. While paper held in a vault will be readable in 50, 100 years, we have no assurances for digital files (emails, contracts, drawings, audio recordings) that are not actively and continuously managed; even if they escape corruption or loss through luck and recovery backups, rapid technological change and inherent dependencies will inevitably render files obsolete and inaccessible
Statewide