The 50-Year Question
Most preservation projects fail within 5 years. They die not because of technical failure, but institutional failure. To survive for 50 years (the minimum horizon for cultural heritage), organizations must avoid five failure modes:
1. The Heroic Founder Problem
Projects built around a single charismatic individual collapse when that person leaves, burns out, or dies. Sustainable archives must distribute leadership early.
2. Financial Fragility
Dependency on a single grant or donor creates volatility. Successful archives (like Internet Archive) diversify revenue streams (donations, services, grants, endowments).
3. Technical Obsolescence
"Bit rot" and format death. Organizations must budget for continuous migration and maintenance, not just initial storage.
4. Scope Creep
Expanding into too many areas dilutes the mission. Successful archives focus deeply on their specific territory.
5. Community Disconnection
Archives that hide their work in basements (or dark servers) have no defenders when funding is cut. Public engagement is a survival strategy.
Models of Sustainability
There are three primary models for sustainable preservation:
- Institutional: Large-scale, professional staff (e.g., Internet Archive).
- Community: Volunteer-run, donation-funded, niche focus (e.g., Archive of Our Own).
- Cooperative: Member-owned, distributed governance (e.g., Stocksy, Mastodon instances).
Field Notes
Institution Building: "The Archive excavates the wisdom of the past. The Anvil forges it into a wiser future. But both require the same institutional discipline: building things that last."