The preservation of digital resources is necessary to support their discovery, access, and use over time. Organizational efforts to design, create, and enhance digital resources will be lost if the data, documents, and programs are not archived and preserved to guarantee future access and use. Those responsible for the digital resources of their organization must consider digital preservation as an important part of their data stewardship roles. Digital preservation efforts require both a strategic and a user-centered approach. The process and requirements analysis involved in digital preservation planning is described. During the last few decades, organizations have been increasing their use of digital resources that have been created as a by-product of their employment of computing and communications technology. While such use varies among and within organizations, the continuing and escalating reliance on information technology generates a variety of digital assets that have potential current and future value to the organizations that create and use such resources. These digital assets represent intellectual property of the organization that have costs and value. Organizational decision-makers must recognize that they have to accept the same responsibility for protecting their newer variety of digital assets as they do for protecting their traditional assortment of physical assets. Information scientists and information services professionals practicing in libraries, academic institutions, government, nongovernment, corporate, and private organizations have opportunities to learn new skills and assume new roles in leading and supporting their organizations in the preservation of digital resources.
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