Disappearing and Rescuing the Digital Archive

Abstract

From around the 1990s, the concept of digital archives became increasingly popular both in Japan and overseas, and many digital archives are currently being built in museums, libraries, or educational institutions. At the same time, digital archives are facing various challenges, that lead to many not being sustainable and disappearing after a while. This paper outlines "organizational issues" and "systemic issues" which are commonly regarded as major reasons for the disappearance of digital archives and discusses ways to make counteract these problems and make digital archives more sustainable.