Book chapter discussing the unique challenges of digitizing music theses and dissertations.

This book chapter discusses educating communities. and preserving tomorrow's treasures today. Librarians, curators, archivists, and volunteers work hard to conserve and preserve materials as they are added to their collections, insuring that the materials can be safely used. However, not all genealogical and historical information is held in cultural institutions; unknown numbers of valuable information sources reside with individuals and in residences. By educating the community today on how to protect the treasures in their care, we have the potential to minimize the repairs needed for these items in the future.

This book chapter discusses digital collection preservation. The authors provide a philosophical base for cultural memory organizations' need to participate in distributed digital preservation solutions as community-owned and community-led initiatives. This chapter will be useful for all readers, particularly those with questions about the value of collaborative engagement in the digital arena for cultural memory organizations.