In order to preserve the meaning and accessibility of a digital object for the long-term, the object's significant properties must also be preserved over time. These features describe, among other things, the content of the object, its context, appearance, behavior and structure. If the value of an essential feature is lost, then it is likely that the object may not be properly accessed or in an authentic manner.
But which properties are essential? Do you save the form of an email for example, or is content sufficient? Is there a checklist that you can use to make sure you keep all the necessary information? To what extent do the significant properties of different digital objects types differ from each other? What features apply to your own collection?
Hosted by the Coalition for Digital Preservation in the Netherlands (NCDD) and the Dutch Digital Heritage Network, this Dutch-language seminar presented at the Ministry for Education, Culture and Science in The Hague will address the topics of significant properties, why they are so important and how you determine these for your collection.