Paper: Managing digital image repositories as key tools in the preservation of cultural objects

A number of preservation efforts are currently under way to develop standardized digital repositories of images and information about cultural objects. At opposite ends of the size spectrum are the Fiber Reference Imaging Library and the World Trade Center Archive digital repositories. Both contain images on fragile objects, both in terms of structural integrity and vulnerability from exposure to uncontrolled environments. At the micro level, to address the needs of textile conservation and research efforts worldwide, the textile community has begun planning for the establishment of a digital repository of textile fibers, for search, access and retrieval by textile conservationists and scientists worldwide. With standardized metadata elements based on the Dublin Core metadata elements; this repository can provide important artifact information for a range of microscopic textile fibers. At the extreme macro level, the 9/11 archive includes an image and information repository of rusting steel columns, large complex composite structures, crushed vehicles, and the Last Column, the final steel support column with large amounts of ephemera attached, such as paper memorabilia, photos, and personal items. These digital repositories of cultural objects pose many digital management challenges, including: Metadata, content and rights management, access and retrieval.