What is a common challenge in managing born-digital materials?

A common challenge in managing born-digital materials is ensuring compatibility with existing technology and software. Born-digital materials refer to records that were created in a digital format, as opposed to being digitized from physical versions. As technology evolves rapidly, the formats in which these digital materials are created can become obsolete or may not be supported by current systems; this means that archivists must often implement strategies to ensure that they can still access and preserve these materials in the long term.

This issue is particularly critical when considering file formats, software applications, and hardware needed to access or process the born-digital records. Incompatible systems can result in the digital materials being at risk of becoming inaccessible, which can hinder their preservation and usability for future generations. As a result, archivists must remain knowledgeable about current technologies, file formats, and ongoing developments in digital storage and preservation to effectively manage these materials.

The other options present legitimate challenges in the realm of digital archives but may not capture the essential immediacy and technicality of compatibility issues. For example, while reducing storage costs and enhancing user accessibility are important, they often come as secondary concerns when technologies used to manage and access the digital materials themselves are incompatible. Staff training is also crucial, but fundamentally it sits on