Authenticity as a Requirement of Preserving Digital Data and Records

Eun G. Park and Shelby Sanett
Department of Information Studies
University of California, Los Angeles


Assuring continued authenticity is an essential preservation consideration
for digital data and records. What is authentic data? Which intellectual
and technical elements of data and records are essential for assuring
authenticity and how should these be maintained and represented over
time?"  How are the authentic data and records used in various systems of
practice? Doctoral researchers on the US team of the InterPARES Project
(International Research on Permanent Authentic Records in Electronic
Systems) will address these questions in light of findings to date of
ongoing case studies and interviews being conducted with government
agencies, academic institutions, and various organizations in America and
Canada. The proposed paper will emphasize findings as they relate to the
specific characteristics and function of authenticity in the preservation
of digital data and records.