—Alec Bethune, NC Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
Archivists and GIS users speak their own language when it comes to managing digital information, yet it is becoming increasingly apparent that these two groups need to work together to acquire and preserve geospatial data. What is a finding aid? How about a records retention schedule? What should I be doing with my important geospatial data to ensure that it is usable in the future? Why should I care about geoarchiving? Under the auspices of the Library of Congress's National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP), the Geospatial Multistate Archive and Preservation Project (GeoMAPP) has paired state GIS and Archives staff to explore the challenges of preserving and providing long-term access to critical geospatial data. This session provides a primer on the key concepts of data archiving and digital preservation while sharing lessons learned from the project about building relationships between archives and GIS practitioners and leaders.