Preservação digital em Instituições de Ensino Superior: instrumentos para a oficialização e operacionalização da preservação de documentos arquivísticos digitais

Abstract

An institution that chooses to start generating digital archival documents must be aware that its management and preservation should take place before content is produced. Maintaining authenticity, reliability and long-term access to the digital archival documents produced is only possible when commitment to the practices of digital preservation is made official by the institution (institutionalized), through adoption of adequate procedures and ongoing investments. Instruments such as policies and plans for digital preservation enable institutionalization and implementation of actions in digital preservation, defining aspects such as institutional goals, the responsibilities of varied organizational agents, standards and practices. Despite the importance of these instruments, some institutions that already produce digital archival documents have not yet initiated their formulation. The present research seeks to stress the importance of reflecting upon the preservation of the digital archival documents produced and of fulfilling actions through the two instruments of institutionalization and operationalization of digital preservation. Thus, its aim is to propone references for the development of policies and plans for digital archival documents for Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in Brazil. To this end, a three-stage qualitative research was conducted. The first stage identified Brazilian HEIs that have a digital preservation policy, through a survey carried out by applying questionnaires to HEIs linked to state and federal entities. The second stage consisted in the identification and description of procedures necessary for the development and structuring of digital preservation policies and plans, which was accomplished through a semi-structured interview with HEIs possessing published digital preservation plans, a documentary research with guiding documents for the making and development of preservation policies and plans, as well as a bibliographic research composed from systematic review of the relevant literature. The final stage consisted in creating the final product of this thesis: a procedure proposition for implementing actions in the preservation of digital archival documents, using the digital preservation policy and plan as a means of institutionalization. As for the actuality of preservation of digital archival documents in Brazilian HEIs, results point in two directions: a) a small number of HEIs have published their digital preservation policies; b) none of the HEIs researched for this thesis had a published digital preservation plan. Therefore, the procedures developed in stages two and three of this thesis aimed to support Brazilian HEIs in the process of developing plan and policy of preservation of digital documents, considering these are essential elements for the adequate development of a digital preservation practice. It is considered that the research has presented subsidies for a preservation adequately fulfilled, in the sense that it integrates theoretical and practical content regarding digital documents preservation.