Case Studies

Completed Case Studies:

The following case studies are available in PDF format:

About the Case Studies

The Content Interest Group is investigating guidelines for the selection of significant content, discovery of at-risk digital content or collections, and engaging all stakeholders in the process of acquiring the content, preserving it, and providing access to it. Its current scope of work involves “content teams” grouped in the following topical areas:

  • Government
  • Geospatial
  • News, Media, and Journalism
  • Science, Mathematics, Technology and Medicine
  • Social Sciences
  • Cultural Heritage
  • Arts & Humanities

These Content Teams are assessing and selecting categories of content in their topical areas that are important for preserving. The groups are developing case studies and/or models to share broadly with all stakeholders, from content producers to cultural heritage organizations. The goal of the case studies is to engage all members of the community in the preservation of content and to encourage the cultivation of relationships that could enable preservation.

Case Studies are meant to:

  • Establish the value of the content and provide the rationale for selecting it for preservation. What value does the content have? Is anyone collecting it? What factors affect its risk of disappearance?
  • Document recognized opportunities for preserving this content. Are there workflows in the creation or distribution of content that present opportunities for preservation?
  • Describe target audiences/stakeholders. Who would find value in this content and how might they be engaged in the process of preservation?
  • Outline a plan for educating stakeholders. How might NDSA or another organization raise the awareness of stakeholders including content creators, publishers, educators, libraries, researchers, or donors?
  • Describe potential obstacles or risk factors. What barriers for users/creators/preservationists might be faced and what options are there for overcoming them?
  • Develop actionable next steps. What can we do next, as a community or as individual institutions, to ensure that important content is preserved?