AROUND FOR DECADES, GONE IN A FLASH: How we dealt with Flash objects at the National Archives of the Netherlands

Abstract

In 2020, Adobe announced that they would end support for Adobe Flash Player. Initially, we (the preservation team at the National Archives of the Netherlands) assumed we had only a few or no Flash objects in our digital repository, but this assumption turned out to be incorrect. The discovery of Flash objects in our holding led to the start of a research project to answer several questions. Through a series of dedicated meetings, we formulated a strategy focused on preserving ongoing accessibility to our Flash objects through emulation. We were curious to find out if we had Flash objects, where they were located, and which solution would help us render these objects. This was done with the use of the three preservation functions (Watch, Action, and Planning). After locating the Flash objects, we were able to test potential solutions. The results were then applied to our situation at the National Archives. This led to the development of conclusions and several pieces of advice accompanying those.

Details

Creators

Remco van Veenendaal; Lotte Wijsman; Jacob Takema; Marin Rappard

Institutions

Date

Keywords

flash; emulation; migration

Publication Type

paper

License

CC-BY 4.0 International

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