Evolving Digital Preservation Appraisal Criteria and Selection

Abstract This paper expands the 2018 article “Approaching Appraisal: Framing Criteria for Selecting Digital Content for Preservation” with an examination, review, and discussion. Specifically, the paper will examine the development of additional criteria and refine the original Work and Tallman criteria through implementation, practice, and the challenges encountered over the past seven years in the United States. It reflects on two examples of how the criteria have been implemented within academic institutions, highlighting the challenges and hurdles encountered in the process. The external conditions influencing how practitioners do their work have been incredibly challenging over the past seven years, from the pandemic to the proliferation of artificial intelligence technologies, stakeholders’ demand for more inclusive and representative archival work, to the effects of climate change and its intersection with social justice in the communities our institutions serve.