This report outlines the issues involved with preserving datasets over time. The findings are a result of interviewing a number of public sector organisations about their dataset holdings. It details current international archival approaches to the preservation of datasets.
The interview findings highlight organisations’ lack of awareness of dataset preservation issues, their dataset administration practices, the importance of the business value of their datasets, some discussion of the size and make-up of their dataset holdings and a section on pertinent legislation. They are followed by a short good practice case study.
The report finishes with some recommendations for future steps to be taken by Archives New Zealand in order to ensure the preservation of, and continued access to, relevant public sector datasets. The report can be downloaded here.