n.an aggregation of archival resources originating in a computer environmentAIMS 2012, 46Since materials in hybrid or solely born-digital collections may not be as fully processed and appraised as they were in the past, understanding content and user requirements as well as the access constraints and restrictions are likely to increase over time. This means that access to materials may change as more information that affects usage policies comes to light. Equally, new techniques for searching the content of digital objects may make the identification of sensitive or protected material easier and more efficient.Joffrion and Cloonan 2020, 41As the scope and scale of born-digital collections continue to grow and expand, it is increasingly likely that no individual library, archives, or museum will be able to provide affordable, sustainable preservation, but will need to rely on a distributed and decentralized approach to the custody of digital content.Rimkus et al. 2020, 422Given the state of digital preservation practice, archivists cannot escape the hands-on exigencies of digital preservation work when managing born-digital collections.Faulder and Jackson 2022, 147We find that, largely because of the influx of born-digital collections, digital processing now includes a complete collections management life cycle, more than only “arrangement, description, and housing.”Jaillant 2022, 534Despite the influence of the More Product, Less Process movement, this problem of access remains acute for paper and digital archives. The problem is particularly acute for born-digital collections (i.e., content produced in digital form, rather than having been digitized from physical form).SAA 2025, 23Born-digital collections can provide unique opportunities for collaborative description with creators and communities of origin. ¶ The relative ease of joint access to digital content may allow acquisitions staff to remotely guide further description of notable materials. Online file sharing and spreadsheet programs can facilitate this work.McPhee, Maches, and Christensen 2025, 73–74Just as archivists have grown more comfortable with the concept of iterative and flexible processing for traditional collections, the same principles apply to born-digital collections. We cannot be so focused on the technological challenges that we forget iterative processing with varying approaches can also be suitable for digital collections, with the added bonus that digital text provides powerful new opportunities for search and discovery.
