Mapping the preservation landscape for the twenty-first century

Information technology has had a profound effect on the preservation landscape at the beginning of the twenty-first century, blurring the traditional boundaries separating cultural heritage institutions and demanding new skills and approaches to the management of cultural assets, whether digital or analog. Concepts around which the core principles of preservation were built have been challenged and are shifting to accommodate new practices and standards. Changes in our approach to longevity, choice, quality, integrity, and access are being driven by digital technologies. A new set of principles, applicable to all materials, whether digital or not, are proposed. In the context and aims of preservation as we understand it today, these principles are a framework for the management of our cultural heritage collections.