Preservation In Practice: Moving Social Science Data From Cd-Roms To Sustainable Access

Legacy media continue to hold key social science datasets at significant risk of loss. Stanford Libraries’ Social Sciences Resources Group (SSRG) stewards approximately 6,140 CD-ROMs and accompanying print manuals containing social science data and statistical resources. We are undertaking a coordinated preservation and access initiative to stabilize this content, integrate it into the Stanford Digital Repository (SDR), and prepare for emulation-based access.

This talk outlines our workflow in detail: creating ISO images for bit-level preservation; conducting quality assurance; documenting software dependencies and access requirements; capturing rights and licensing considerations; and enhancing catalog metadata to make ISO holdings discoverable. I will share the materials that demonstrate the process—including procedures (such as use of ISO Buster), logs, error cases—and to describe how we evaluated preservation risks, manage diverse data collections, and determining when to point users to more current digital resources.

Our approach builds on Stanford University’s participation in the Emulation-as-a-Service Infrastructure (EaaSI) 2021 pilot. This case study directly supports the conference theme by foregrounding preservation in practice: transparent decision-making, documented trade-offs, rights, and access. The aim is to spark discussion that advances the theme’s call for responsible access, including collaboration around rights and emulation environments.