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Accountability

Being responsible for what an organization does and being able to give a satisfactory reason for it, or the degree to which this happens. Includes transparency: conducting organizational and financial activities in an open way without any element of concealment, so that processes can be trusted to be fair and honest.

What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?

Organization Type Risk Potential Consequences
All organizations

Technologies used become obsolete; this may apply to elements such as hardware, software and file formats.
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Required to maintain expensive legacy systems
  • Disruption of business/organisation’s functions
  • Unable to provide audit trails
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements
All organizations

Rate of data creation outstrips capacity for storage, processing and preservation.
  • Important digital objects are not captured within the preservation system
  • Data loss/corruption
Archives Executive level support for digital preservation is not persistent
  • Unable to establish a sustainable, fit for purpose digital preservation programme
  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements
Archives Failure to engage with stakeholders at all stages of the record life-cycle
  • Lack of support for digital preservation work
  • System/procedures do not support user needs
  • Do not capture necessary documentation
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects in a useable format
Business Inability to provide evidence of compliance with regulations
  • Loss of reputation and stakeholder confidence
  • Fines/sanctions
Business Inability to produce reliable and authentic records necessary to pursue or defend legal claims
  • Undermines ability to reach resolution
  • Unsatisfactory or expensive settlements
Higher Education and Research Inability to access legal documentation, institutional history and decision-making precedents
  • Unable to rely on past evidence to inform current decision-making
  • Unable to meet legal/regulatory requirements
Higher Education and Research Research data not transferred to the relevant repository for preservation
  • Data loss
  • Gaps in the cultural/scholarly record
  • Research repeated unnecessarily
Higher Education and Research Lack of vendor accountability
  • Unable to place trust in services provided
  • Services not fit for purpose
  • Poor customer service
  • Unable to plan for succession
Libraries Organisation does not move important digital/digitized objects into a preservation system
  • Data loss/corruption
  • Unable to provide access to digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding
Museums and Galleries Absence of appropriately skilled and invested people responsible for digital preservation
  • Incorrect/inadequate preservation
  • Preservation does not occur
  • Loss of ability to access/render digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding
Museums and Galleries Absence of a documented workflow for the creation/acquisition and then maintenance of digital files
  • Incorrect/inadequate preservation
  • Preservation does not occur
  • Loss of ability to access/render digital objects
  • Loss of context/documentation
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of funding

What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create? 

Organization Type Digital Preservation can...
All organizations demonstrate a commitment to transparency and accountability by sustaining an accurate digital record
All organizations protect investment by maintaining clear audit trails
Business enable better cooperation with regulatory bodies by sustaining access to reliable records as evidence of actions.
Business allow an organization to defend decisions and attribute responsibility by sustaining access to reliable records as evidence of actions for legal, regulatory and IPR cases
Business enable the organization to respond more efficiently to legal holds by sustaining access to reliable records
Business demonstrate increased transparency through improved access to records for stakeholders
Higher Education and Research demonstrate, to funders, a commitment to the sustainability of their investment and the cultural record
Higher Education and Research save on storage costs by enabling documented appraisal, disposal and deletion procedures
Higher Education and Research demonstrate greater transparency through documented audit trails
Higher Education and Research demonstrate, to the public purse, a commitment to maintaining the sustainability of the cultural record
Libraries earn the trust of the public through sustained access to documentary heritage which guarantees the integrity of digital holdings
Libraries demonstrate a commitment to delivering on a public mandate, for present and future generations
Libraries demonstrate that the organization is meeting its obligations and mandate through documentary evidence of compliance to legislation
Libraries instill trust in cultural and creative data by demonstrating a complete cultural record
Museums and Galleries demonstrate the fulfilment of a legal obligation to display and therefore preserve collection objects in perpetuity
Museums and Galleries enable robust and trusted iterations and audit trails, review and update to remain in line with the latest standards and best practices, safeguarding organizational reputation.
Museums and Galleries instill confidence in the ability to preserve digital collections

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