Recent Studies by the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board

In Signposts in Cyberspace: The Domain Name System and Internet Navigation (2005), the Computer Science and Telecommunication Board (CSTB) of the National Academies reports on its assessment of the current state and the future prospects of the Domain Name System, noting that the DNS faces challenges arising from technological change and from from institutional pressures with a wide variety of commercial, cultural, social and political agendas. The report can be downloaded in pdf format at no charge.

Building an Electronic Records Archive at the National Archives and Records Administration: Recommendations for a Long-Term Strategy (2005), is the CSTB's final report on the Electronic Records Archives (ERA) program of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The report makes six recommendations:

1. Get ready for a rapidly rising tide of electronic records.
2. Plan for continuing technology change and increasing user expectations.
3. Reengineer relations with federal agencies to help them create records that are archive-ready.
4. Do not assume that ERA is unique: become more involved with other organizations that have interests in preserving electronic records.
5. Learn how to exploit the enthusiasm and capabilities of the research community and work with others who do that well.
6. Take strong measures internally and provide government-wide leardership to ensure record integrity and provenance.

The report can be downloaded in pdf format at no charge.