The UNESCO/PERSIST Guidelines for the Selection of Digital Heritage for Long-

The first edition of the Guidelines evolved from the work of the UNESCO/PERSIST project, which arose out of the Memory of the World Conference held in Vancouver, Canada, in 2012. [...] Key differences between the collection of digital material versus traditional collecting include: • The speed and complexity of change in the digital arena • The need for intermediary tools and services to understand and manipulate the digital object • The volume of information that must be reviewed for selection • Continuing hardware and software obsolescence over time • The speed and near invisi. [...] However, the rapid obsolescence in digital formats, and the inability of record and data creators to maintain information, storage media, and system hardware and software systems, is collapsing the window of opportunity of selection. [...] This figure presumes that the organisation using the algorithm has control over the entire process from the development of research questions, to collation and cleaning of the data, to development and iteration of the code to arrive at the output. [...] Other considerations Use of AI in appraisal and selection of born-digital records AI is a record deserving of selection and preservation, but given the volume and complexity of digital materials that need to be assessed for selection in the future, it is not possible for documentary heritage practitioners to unilaterally apply traditional appraisal and selection techniques.