The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has published Managing Born-Digital Special Collections and Archival Materials, SPEC Kit 329, which explores the tools, workflow, and policies special collections and archives staff use to process, manage, and provide access to born-digital materials they collect. This SPEC Kit looks at which staff process and manages born-digital materials and how they acquire the skills they need for these activities. The publication also examines how libraries have responded to the challenges that managing born-digital materials present.
The management of born-digital materials is still relatively new for ARL libraries, and the survey results show that good practices and workflows are still evolving. New tools are emerging rapidly, and the once solid line between digitised content and born-digital content is beginning to blur. Survey responses indicated that the library and archives profession lacks a common definition of what born-digital content is and a common understanding of who within the organisation should manage this content.
This SPEC Kit includes documentation from respondents that describes digital specialists' job responsibilities, collection policies, gift/purchase agreements, format policies, and workflows.
