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Abstract

Archives are faced with fast-paced changes in the world in which they operate. In particular, innovation in digital technology have transformed the way people access and retrieve information. In view of this, The National Archives, UK has formulated a vision which aims to lead information management within government, and find new ways of preserving and making information accessible. In this climate, a preservation risk assessment was carried out in order to inform strategic planning as well as guarantee the survival of records. Results have highlighted the degree of environmental problems within the main site. In addition, it illustrated the amount of damage resulting from current policies and practices associated with storage, retrieval, and substitution copying; it also proved policies already in place to be highly effective. The results of the assessment have led to a number of improvements to the repository environment as well as policies on storage and retrieval.

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Risk Management as a Strategic Driver for a Large Archive

Abstract

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