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Some Economics of Digital Preservation

Some Economics of Digital Preservation. Paul N. Courant LIFE2 Conference 23 June 2008. So, What is Preservation?. It has to be attached to something. Information? Artifact? Both? Preservation activity affects the flow of current and future services available from the “object.”

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Some Economics of Digital Preservation

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  1. Some Economics of Digital Preservation Paul N. Courant LIFE2 Conference 23 June 2008 LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  2. So, What is Preservation? It has to be attached to something. Information? Artifact? Both? Preservation activity affects the flow of current and future services available from the “object.” Basic production function setup -- Flow of services at t depends on all that happens in the past, including the things that we call preservation (or nonpreservation). The potential usefulness at t depends on the past uses, and on preservation. LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  3. Lifecycle cost according to LIFE1 LT = Aq + IT + MT + AcT + ST + PT L = Lifecycle costT = TimeAq = AcquisitionI = Ingest M = MetadataAc = AccessS = StorageP = preservation BENEFITS -- Accessibility, Usability, Reliability, future costs forgone LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  4. Stocks and Flows Stocks are accumulations of stuff LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  5. Flows are Flows LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  6. Sustainable Flows LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  7. A Principle The duty imposed by sustainability is to bequeath to posterity not any particular thing – with rare exceptions such as Yosemite, for example – but rather to endow them with whatever it takes to achieve a standard of living at least as good as our own and to look after the next generation similarly. We are not to consume humanity’s capital, in the broadest sense. (Robert Solow 1992) LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  8. Markets Won’t Do It …the obligation of sustainability cannot be left entirely to the market. The future is not adequately represented by the market – at least not the distant future – and there is no reason that ordinary market behavior will take care of whatever obligation we have to the future. Universalism {the doctrine that it should not matter when in human history you live, as an ethical principle} demands that the state should serve as a trustee for the interests of future generations. Government policies … can adapt the incentive structure in ways that protect the global environment and resource base for people yet to be born. (Anand and Sen, 2000) LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  9. Natural Resource Economics Public Good Use Value Existence Value Option Value LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  10. Sustainability (Indefinite Preservation) Specific Sustainability Value Sustainability (Solow) Economics Endowment? Organization Business Models Handoffs LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  11. Business Models {Incredibly apt illustration showing mix of ongoing demand, endowments, charitable gifts, rainfall, rivers, reservoirs, dogs combining to allow something to be sustained over time.} LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  12. Attributes of a Business Model Recognition of benefits of preservation by people who can move resources (Demand) Incentives to people who have the stuff Mechanisms to move resources to the stuff as routine or default, including handoffs Efficient use (don’t save everything perfectly, make choices) Organization and governance of the many relevant players Adapted from discussions in the NSF BRP on Economically Sustainable Digital Preservation and Access. LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  13. Endowing a Chair Y = r E S = Y LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  14. Scholarship Write Review/Edit Research/Create Copy edit/Format/Prod. Market Distribute Network/delivery sys Curate, archive and retrieve LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  15. What’s Different About Digital? Fragile ? Too Much Stuff Rights Environment Use doesn’t wear it out (and may even make it more usable in the future) Functionality and Links (very fragile) Public Goods Implications LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  16. Academic Library Collections Cost for users: relatively low Time Research Computer Cost for preservationists:relatively high Servers Infrastructure Maintenance Staff Metadata And on . . . LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008 16

  17. Preservation of Digital Scholarship Easy (sort of) cases Digitized print (Google and the SDR) Journals (Portico, LOCKSS, Some National Libraries) Astronomical Data Harder cases Multimedia projects Things with links and embedded functionality (from excel spreadsheets on up) Data from Chemistry experiments Hardest The cultural record itself Business records, etc. LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  18. A Really Bad Idea ONLY COLLECT WHAT YOU KNOW YOU CAN SUSTAINABLY (INDEFINITELY) KEEP LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

  19. Thank You Thank You LIFE Conference | June 23, 2008

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