A basic set of tasks as depicted in Figure 2.1 can be discerned when building an archive. In the following, those will be discussed in detail.
In the forefront, the purpose of the archive has to be exactly determined. In the course of this, the source and the scope of the digital material the repository shall be composed of are identified (cf. Section 2.1). Having selected the data, it needs to be acquired in the next step (cf. Section 2.2). A well planned organisation is crucial for a smooth operation. This calls for robust storage facilities (cf. Section 2.3). Since such a service is planned for the long run, digital preservation is a core issue (cf. Section 2.4). All these topics ultimately culminate in the provision of access to the retained collection items (cf. Section 2.5).
Furthermore, legal issues have to be addressed with great care and sensitivity, due to the lack of a legal framework for the time being (cf. Section 2.6). Considering the long-term character of the initiative, economics will be tough to warrant (cf. Section 2.7). Metadata plays a crucial part in all stages of archive creation and maintenance and is, hence, discussed in Section 2.8.
The challenges of archivation projects as they are dealt with in the following chapter form the basis for the subsequent discussion of related projects in this field (cf. Chapter 3) as well as the presentation of our own experiences (cf. Chapter 4).
