Conference Agenda

Literature review constantly point that many governmental bodies in South Africa are struggling to share and transfer their data with one other as well as the National Archives and Records Services of South Africa (NARSSA) due to fragmented systems that are noninteroperable.

Lack of interoperability among digital records management systems in governmental bodies presents a pervasive obstacle. Consequently, it adversely affects seamless data exchange, communication, and collaboration of records management systems between governmental bodies in South Africa. Various scholars indicate that siloed data and disparate systems impede information flow, compromising decision-making processes, and hindering the delivery of timely and accurate services in the field of archive and records management. As such, these governmental bodies tend to miss opportunities for exchange, migrate and ensure storage of their digital records in new devices. Moreover, lack of interoperability of systems lead to security concerns because of hinderances involving inaccessibility of records, vendor lock-in practices that restrain transfer of records between organisations and may result in valuable records being permanent stuck in storing devices due to diverse software standards Free and open-source software (FOSS) presents a viable solution for facilitating the transfer of digital archives for permanent preservation. FOSS compatibility, flexibility and open standards promoting seamless exchange of data across various heterogeneous systems. This ensures seamless data exchange and communication between diverse software systems, regardless of their underlying technologies.

This study adopted a qualitative research approach to collect data through interviews with purposively selected participants (records managers, archivists, and IT officials) from national government departments that have implemented records management systems for digital curation of archives, as well as the National Archives and Records Services of South Africa (NARSSA), which regulates archives and records management, and the State Information Technology Agency, which regulates information technology in government. Findings reveal that the implementation of open-source software for digital curation of archives may ensure the exchange of data through various systems used in governmental bodies in South Africa. This is made possible by the fact that adhere to open standards and protocols, facilitating interoperability with proprietary systems.

Keywords: interoperability of systems, digital curation of archives, open-source software, security, South Africa

The National Archives of India, the genesis of which can be traced back to 1891, when the Imperial Records Department was created to act as the Central Record Department which was created to act as the central records office of the Government of India. This organization plays a key role in guiding and shaping the development of Archives. Until 15 January 2025, 7.29 crore pages have been digitized, 273202 Unique Visitors, 31188 Registered Users, and 1362709 Digitized Records on Abhilekh-Patal.

The initiative of National Archives of India (NAI) for large scale or Mass-Digitisation of its entire record holdings carries two aims: one, to make them accessible through its search portal https://www.abhilekh-patal.in to students, scholars and other users across our country and the world for free; and, two, to ensure preservation of the physical and the digitised records for posterity. Although digitisation of documents has been taken up by most of the National Archives around the world, it is rare to find archives that have sought to digitise and make accessible their entire holding of records to everyone and for free. By ensuring access to the body of records in its repositories through Mass Digitisation and uploading of digital records to Abhilekh-Patal, NAI proposes to democratise access to sources of history of different subjects and harness the intellectual energies of students and scholars in the remotest part of our country through information technology. National Archives of India has made the IT based modifications to overcome the replace the above physical processes and facilitate access and delivery of services online. Mass Digitisation in NAI is doubly useful because it is resulting in conservation of physical records since once digitized, they are no longer issued to the scholars, thus precluding further deterioration, wear and tear due to handling. In this respect, this is a pioneering effort of NAI to digitise and preserve the Indian documentary heritage. The impact of this innovation particularly with regard to its demographic and geographical reach can be seen clearly through the Abhilekh-Patal portal statistics. A total of 202 countries are currently using the search portal to access the digitised records. As regards the key features its storage Capacity of Native storage is 18 TB, Compressed: 45 TB (2.5:1 compression ratio), Transfer Speed Native: 400 MB/s, compressed 1,000 MB/s and has Backward Compatibility of both Read and write with LTO-8 tapes. As regards the key features its storage Capacity of Native storage is 18 TB, Compressed: 45 TB (2.5:1 compression ratio), Transfer Speed Native: 400 MB/s, compressed 1,000 MB/s and has Backward Compatibility of both Read and write with LTO-8 tapes. As regards the security concerns it supports hardware-based encryption (AES-256) with key features of WORM (Write Once, Read Many) functionality for data integrity and compliance. In terms of physical size, it is of Standard LTO cartridge size with eco-friendliness designed to reduce environmental impact with reduced packaging and energy-efficient operation. Regarding the installed advantages of Fujifilm LTO-9 it is of high capacity reduces the need for multiple tapes and has faster backup and restore times. Further it is cost-effective for large-scale, long-term data storage. It is also durable and resistant to environmental factors like humidity and magnetic interference. This Fujifilm is a trusted brand in the LTO tape market, known for its innovation and reliability in storage media. Thus, the Digitization journey of National Archives of India with regard to the Digital and Accessible is a remarkable story of innovation and growth which will be remarkable achievement.

Se analiza el grado de accesibilidad que actualmente presentan las filmotecas. La población estudiada está formada por 96 archivos audiovisuales pertenecientes a la FIAF. Se establecen 10 indicadores de elaboración propia empleando un método comparativo entre los datos extraídos a través de los sitios web oficiales de estas instituciones. Tras el análisis de los resultado se presentan las conclusiones, identificando los puntos fuertes y débiles detectados.

Se analiza el grado de accesibilidad que actualmente presentan las filmotecas. Tras la búsqueda e identificación de las fuentes de información para la realización de la introducción se procede a la selección de la muestra. Así, se elige como población a las filmotecas pertenecientes a la FIAF. De los 96 miembros activos actuales se descartaron aquellas instituciones que o bien no disponían de sitio web o que no se podía acceder a ellas por problemas técnicos. La muestra final se compone de 85 filmotecas a las que se le aplica un conjunto de 10 indicadores de elaboración propia encuadrados en las siguientes cinco categorías: acceso abierto; tipo de institución documental; instrumento de acceso a la colección; colecciones que custodian; portal de transparencia. Para cumplir con los objetivos propuestos, se emplea un método comparativo entre los datos extraídos a través de la observación de los sitios web oficiales de las filmotecas. Haciendo un resumen de los resultados obtenidos podemos decir lo siguiente: tan solo un 37% de las instituciones examinadas permiten el acceso abierto a sus fondos siendo el 21 % las filmotecas las que permiten la accesibilidad a su documentación audiovisual. El 73% de estas instituciones cuentan con un archivo, el 64 % presentan una biblioteca y, tan sólo, un 17% cuentan con un repositorio. Por otro lado, es significativo que un 28 % de filmotecas no presente un catálogo que permita la identificación y localización de sus fondos. El estudio de los fondos que custodian estas organizaciones pone de manifiesto tanto su riqueza como complejidad, en ellas podemos encontrar las siguientes categorías: fondo archivístico, audiovisual, documental o museístico. Finalmente, es mínimo (7%) el porcentaje de instituciones que cuentan con un portal de transparencia. Como conclusión se indican una serie de fallos hallados en la valoración de los archivos en aras a su corrección y una serie logros identificados para su emulación por otras instituciones afines. Desde nuestro estudio se aboga por el estudio y la reflexión de las instituciones recogidas bajo el acrónimo GLAM, ya que las decisiones que tomen estas entidades en materia de digitalización, gestión de derechos de propiedad intelectual y acceso abierto pueden tener consecuencias reales para sus audiencias, el público en general, las comunidades locales y los individuos en una sociedad de la información cada vez más interconectada.

This presentation shares results of a 2024 study assessing the uptake of linked data technologies for cultural heritage institutions. The study, an online survey, asked respondents about their experiences with linked data. Respondents answered questions about their understanding of linked data as an information technology and user service. The survey was answered by 500 professionals from 27 countries, biased towards North America and Europe but including colleagues from every continent.

Nearly 20 years ago, Tim Berners-Lee described the possibilities of a truly semantic web through the sharing of machine-readable interlinked data. In libraries, linked data helps to improve discovery of resources by linking information across repositories, institutions, national borders, and platforms. While there has been movement toward implementing linked open data in the last decades, libraries have been slow to adopt it, in some cases even reverting back from implementations to more traditional data structures.

In this presentation, we (three professionals in academic archives) share our initial findings from a 2024 study assessing the uptake of linked data technologies for cultural heritage description in the Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) community. The study was designed as an online survey and asked respondents about both their and their institution's experiences with linked data, distinguishing between private and institutional experimentation, pilot programs, and implementation in production. Respondents also answered questions about their training in or understanding of linked data as an information technology and user service. The survey was answered by 500 professionals across the spectrum of occupations, from data managers and system administrators to archivists, librarians, curators, researchers, consultants, and more. Respondents from 27 countries, biased towards North America and Europe but including colleagues from every continent, shared their experiences with us.

Presenting the outcomes of this study, we share a rich snapshot of how linked data is currently being used across different constituencies of information professionals. We discuss the degree to which linked data has been implemented, note which data structures have seen more or less use, and identify challenges to adoption experienced in the community. From this data, we discuss the future of linked data as a mainstream information technology, focusing on professional perceptions of its added value and the pain points of its adoption. We identify opportunities for further development in the areas of domain modeling and software development, and share tentative conclusions on how the information profession might work toward broader adoption in the future.