University Information Assets: Re-Defining the University Archives in a Digital Age

Abstract

In fall 2004, four members of the President's Emerging Leaders (PEL) 2004-05 cohort undertook a project to help determine the issues and considerations that should help guide the University Archives in developing policies and practices with respect to digital information created within the University and stored and shared on desktop computers. A series of interviews was conducted in spring 2005 with representative University administrators, faculty and staff that provided most of the information used by the PEL group to identify key themes and major issues surrounding current archiving practices, attitudes and beliefs about archiving, and perceptions of the value of archival information. Information gleaned in the interviews was also used to formulate several salient recommendations for consideration by the University Librarian and Archives staff.