Digital Curation Fundamentals. By Jody L. DeRidder. [Review]

Abstract

Jody DeRidder begins her book stating that “websites and digital news stories disappear daily; researchers can’t access their own data for reuse; students don’t know how to make their work last for the next ten years” (p. ix). This disturbing statement is all too real for many archival professionals and sets the tone for why this book is important. Digital Curation Fundamentals is relatively short at 153 pages, but is packed with content. DeRidder builds this text on 14 years of experience developing and supporting a digital library as well as additional resources, including BitCurator, Digital POWRR, and Stanford Libraries’ ePADD Project. DeRidder clearly states in the preface that this book is for the average librarian or archivist, and I would wholeheartedly agree with this statement. The author includes “fundamentals” in the title, but more appropriately should have included the term “foundational” as well. Seasoned digital curators may not find much they do not already know or that may have been covered in other, denser texts, but the size of this book should not deter any professional looking for a quick guide.