The new edition of ALA Neal-Schuman’s in-depth examination of digital curation

For Immediate Release
Wed, 04/20/2016

Contact:

Rob Christopher

Marketing Coordinator

ALA Publishing

American Library Association

312-280-5052

rchristopher@ala.org

CHICAGO— As an in-depth explanation of the entire digital curation lifecycle, from creation to appraisal to preservation to organization/access to transformation, the first edition of “Digital Curation,” published by ALA Neal-Schuman, set a benchmark for both thoroughness and clarity. Boasting the expert guidance of international authorities Gillian Oliver and Ross Harvey, this revamped and expanded edition widens the scope to address continuing developments in the strategies, technological approaches, and activities that are part of this rapidly changing field. In addition to current practitioners, those pursuing a career as librarian, archivist, or records manager will find this definitive survey invaluable. Filled with up-to-date best practices, it covers such important topics as

  • the scope and incentives of digital curation, detailing Digital Curation Centre’s (DCC) lifecycle model as well as the Data Curation Continuum;   
  • key requirements for digital curation, from description and representation to planning and collaboration;
  • the value and utility of metadata;
  • considering the needs of producers and consumers when creating an appraisal and selection policy for digital objects;
  • the paradigm shift by institutions towards cloud computing and its impact on costs, storage, and other key aspects of digital curation;
  • the quality and security of data;
  • new and emerging data curation resources, including innovative digital repository software and digital forensics tools;
  • mechanisms for sharing and reusing data, with expanded sections on open access, open data, and open standards initiatives; and
  • processes to ensure that data are preserved and remain usable over time.

Examination copies are available for instructors who are interested in adopting this title for course use.

Dr. Oliver is Associate Professor at the School of Information Management, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Her professional practice background spans information management in the United Kingdom, Germany, and New Zealand. Co-author of “Records Management and Information Culture: Tackling the People Problem,” she is currently leading research funded by the International Council on Archives (ICA) to develop an information culture toolkit for archival authorities. She is co-Editor-in-Chief of Archival Science, and a member of Archives New Zealand’s Archives Council.

Dr. Harvey is Editor of the Australian Library Journal and Adjunct Professor in Information Management in the School of Business IT and Logistics, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. He has extensive experience in research projects in Australia and the UK, including the Humanities Advanced Technology and Information Institute at the University of Glasgow and the Digital Curation Centre. His most recent books are “The Preservation Management Handbook,” co-authored with M. Mahard, and the second edition of “Preserving Digital Materials.”

ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. Founded in 1976 by Patricia Glass Schuman and John Vincent Neal, Neal-Schuman Publishers, now an imprint of ALA Publishing, publishes professional books for librarians, archivists, and knowledge managers. Contact us at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5052 or editionsmarketing@ala.org.