PRESERVATION & MIGRATION SEMINAR 2025

Is this the last train for migration, and are we really sure of the destination?

June 20, 2025

Online

FULL SESSION RECORDING

While last rites are given for legacy carriers and formats, future challenges for digital preservation look all too familiar.

The purpose of the seminar this year was twofold. On one hand, we wanted to discuss the consequences of technology obsolescence with respect to the migration outlook for legacy formats. On the other hand, we aimed at considering the digital preservation challenges, for both digitised and digital born content. For legacy formats it might be a last train not to be missed. For any content within the digital archives, the future may not be as obvious as you might think.

The seminar was structured in three rounds. Each round consisted of a short speech and a debate among panellists led by a moderator.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Archives are at a critical turning point where the window to migrate content from obsolete magnetic formats (audio and video) is rapidly closing, and failure to act now will result in the permanent loss of cultural and historical assets.

The primary threat is technology obsolescence, where the playback machines, spare parts, and human expertise required to access content on older magnetic tapes are vanishing. This process is accelerating. Five machines that were in production five years ago, might have been cannibalised to rebuild only one to be used today (H. Shakespeare).

Migration capacity is overwhelmed

The demand for digitisation services has reached a pace hard to sustain. One major service provider, Memnon, reports that requests for the next 18 months are 3.5 times the total volume they have digitized in the last 21 years. This equates to a 10-year work queue at current maximum capacity, meaning the “last train” for many formats may already be full or running on “dismantled tracks.”

Due to budget constraints, rising operational costs (up 50% in 3-4 years), and resource scarcity, archives can no longer simply prioritise which content to digitise first. They are being forced into a position of selection, meaning they must actively decide which parts of their collections will be left behind and lost forever.

The problem does not end with creating a digital file. The event stressed that digital preservation is an ongoing, complex challenge. Digital files themselves face obsolescence from unsupported file formats, decaying storage media (e.g., LTO tapes), and evolving software environments. The scale of data produced (e.g., 10 TB daily at RTÉ) makes this a formidable long-term commitment.

The way forward

The core recommendation is to begin migration projects without delay. The question is no longer if this is the last chance, but whether an organisation is already acting on it.

A proposed framework to objectively score technology obsolescence for different formats can serve as a vital advocacy and planning tool.

It is essential to implement a formal digital preservation policy based on established standards like the OAIS model and PREMIS metadata. Key activities include meticulous metadata management, ensuring file integrity (checksums), maintaining multiple copies, and planning for future data migrations.

Given the scarcity of resources, collaboration between institutions is vital. This includes sharing knowledge, donating unused equipment, and potentially even sharing content preservation responsibilities.

Archives face a convergence of vanishing media, machines, and expertise. A proactive, strategic, and collaborative approach to both analog migration and long-term digital preservation is the only viable path to safeguarding our audiovisual heritage for future generations.