The CoSA 2022 Digital Preservation Capability Maturity Model Self-Assessment Survey was administered between January and March. Forty-five states and one territory completed the survey. This report highlights the gains state and territorial archives have made since the last self-assessment (2015), the areas where they have held fast, and the topics where they have lost ground. CoSA will utilize this data to target outreach, training, and advocacy efforts to strengthen electronic records management and digital preservation at the state and territorial government level.
The 2022 Digital Preservation Capability Maturity Model Self-Assessment survey revealed relatively static numbers in components related to policy and strategy. The consistency in these components shows that institutions that created digital preservation policies, strategies and related documents have maintained these documents since the last administration of the survey and sustained consistent scores.
While a number of states have yet to make significant progress in managing their electronic records collections, the general understanding of the digital preservation lifecycle, the DPCMM components, and what it means to preserve state and territory records in the digital age has deepened.
Of Note:
The proliferation of information technology platforms, applications, and storage options across all levels and branches of government bring significant risks to lifecycle management of permanent electronic government records.
- Exacerbating these issues is the reality that effective electronic records management remains a low priority and largely underfunded mandate in state government. In addition, many available digital preservation tools, primarily open‐source tools, cannot be supported in existing IT infrastructures. The resulting gaps in connectivity, equipment, and digital preservation expertise create a range of disparities within states and communities regarding public records access
As more public records are moved online, the inequities surrounding access to them also increase, as does the need for government archives to better understand the barriers community members face in accessing them.
- CoSA helps to mitigate some of these gaps by working directly with state and territory archives staff to assess capabilities, develop plans and policies, and advise on infrastructure and cultural competency strategies to help reach their designated communities.
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