"Varying realities?" – a SWOT analysis of a consortially operated digital preservation system

Poster presented at LIBER Conference. Munich, Germany, 26.–29. June 2013.

Abstract for poster submission:
„Varying realities?“ – a SWOT analysis of a consortially operated digital preservation
system
Michelle Lindlar and Thomas Bähr – TIB / Goportis

It was the Austrian-American communications theorist and philosopher Paul Watzlawick who said that „The belief that one’s own view of reality is the only reality is the most dangerous of all delusions“. Current discourse shows how strongly this statement applies to digital preservation – may it be in form of the discussions lead on terminology, such as “digital preservation” versus “digital curation” - or in form of debates on whether either migration or emulation or a combination of the two is the better preservation strategy available. While standards like the OAIS reference model give the digital preservation community a common
vocabulary, the interpretation of that vocabulary can differ greatly.
The implementation and operation of a digital preservation system within a consortium offers great chances in form of synergies shared, but also bears the great risk of “varying realities”. Internal and external risks need to be carefully considered. The first factors that come to mind usually regard budgeting and staffing questions, followed by implications of shared hardware.
Furthermore, a consortially operated system also needs to support the preservation strategies of the singular institutions. Do those strategies align, or is a system implementation required which supports several strategies?
A careful analysis of all factors is a necessary prerequisite for successful system implementation and operation. But how can the factors be adequately captured and weighed against each other?
A SWOT analysis is a classical management tool which in a library context is often applied in the field of marketing. However, the grid display of strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O) and threats (T) allows a differentiated view of internal and external chances and risks which makes an ideal supporting tool for any decision making and strategic planning process. As such, it may allow us to detect “alternate realities” of a joint digital preservation system.
The poster will exemplify how a SWOT analysis can be used in the context of a consortially operated digital preservation system. It will include an analysis based on the Goportis digital preservation pilot project (2009-2011) as well as on the experiences TIB has made as the hosting institution of the system since 2010. The Goportis consortium is the Leibniz Library Network for Research Information, which consists of the three German national subject libraries TIB, ZB MED and ZBW.