Initial Study of the Content Authentication on Digital Preservation of Cultural Institutions

The aim of this paper is to identify potential risks of digital cultural resources in Malaysia. Apart from that, it proposed watermarking as a way to authenticate digital items for future work. A multiple case studies approach is used to examine the potential risks of digital cultural resources in four (4) selected Malaysian cultural institutions. Data is collected through a structured interview with information professionals who are involved in digitisation works in the selected cultural institutions. Findings reveal that digital cultural heritage resources in Malaysia is at risk in terms of digitisation policies, selection criteria, cost, staffing, technology, storage, metadata management and copyright. This study is very significant to professionals who are involved in archiving the digital cultural heritage as it can be a guide for managing risks in preserving the valuable digital resources. The result of this study can be a practical tool of managing risks not only for digital cultural heritage but also to all documents in digital format. The study gives insight to other researchers to seriously investigate other risks of digital cultural resources besides the risks that have been identified in this study.