Partners for Preservation: Advancing Digital Preservation through Cross-Community Collaboration. Edited by Jeanne Kramer-Smyth. [Review]

Abstract

The title of this anthology of essays sets the readers’ expectation for a very different experience than the book delivers. Neither a set of case studies nor a practical guide to digital preservation, the book is “an exploration of how computers and technology affect our ability to preserve information for the future,” as explained by editor Jeanne Kramer-Smyth (p. xxii). Its 10 essays aim to introduce archivists to the perspectives of professionals working in areas adjacent to digital preservation. Boldly stepping beyond the GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) community, Kramer-Smyth provides a platform for diverse voices with impeccable educational and professional credentials, including a color scientist, a journalism professor, and a legal expert in postmortem privacy.