Digitisation of Archival Records at National Archives of India and Department of Delhi Archives: A Detailed Study of Methods, Standards and Protocols

Abstract

The National Archives of India (NAI) and the Department of Delhi Archives (DA) have undertaken an enormous initiative of digitization of records to preserve and enhance the access of archival collection. Storage and maintenance of records in both forms physical and digital pose an immense challenge to archival science. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how these institutions have employed methodology to improve the preservation and access to archival resources. The study analyses the methods, standards and protocols adopted in the process of digitisation to highlight how it can be sustainably preserved and retrieved digital information resources for generation to come. The data is collected through a detailed questionnaires and findings are based on the comparisons of different digitisation procedures, metadata preservation and retrieval of records. The efficacy of these massive projects has been studied in detail to put forward critical recommendations in a bid to provide best practices which can be used to achieve digital sustainability and interoperability among the digital information systems to enhance and provide long-term access to these historical digital resources.