New Collaborations among Information Professionals by Gerry Bernbom, Joan Lippincott, and Fynnette Eaton A s colleges and universities, government agencies, and other organizations create and use information resources in the digital environment, they may not be taking steps necessary to ensure that they have long-term access to that information.
Information serves many purposes in an institution or organization.
It is used in the daily transaction of business, it is analyzed and relied upon for decision making, it serves as evidence in administrative or legal proceedings, and it provides historical understanding of an institution and its members. In the world of print and paper documents, we have a nearly universal expectation that these various forms of information will continue to be available when needed in the future. But this may not be the case in the digital environment. In some higher education institutions, student records and faculty handbooks are now available only in digital form. Technology, policy, and organizational issues can all influence the archival, preservation, and future accessibility of electronic records and digital documents.