As Jim and Lorcan have noted, this is the last issue of RLG DigiNews in its current incarnation. It really hit me last week as I sat in my living room chair early one morning, drinking coffee and reviewing the feature articles, that the job I’ve been doing for a decade has come to an end. Devoting this last issue under the editorship of Cornell University Library to reflecting on a decade of change has allowed my colleagues and me to reach closure more easily. Ten years ago, Google was neither a household name nor a verb. Mass digitization was imagined in the thousands of images rather than the millions and billions. And “digital preservation” was commonly used interchangeably with digitization. There was no OAIS, no PREMIS, no JHOVE; MTF wasn’t a term that tripped off the tongue easily. Certification referred to methelyne blue tests, not trustworthy digital repositories.

Our feature articles highlight some of the changes in the two key areas consistently covered by RLG DigiNews over the years: digital imaging and digital preservation. It’s gratifying to see the progress that has occurred in our understanding of the issues, particularly as they have been informed by practical experience at a range of cultural institutions. The FAQ continues a long tradition of probing assumptions about what is and what isn’t—this time focusing on legal impediments to digital preservation and the role of Open Archives. And, if we can be forgiven for being self-referential, it’s only fitting to showcase RLG DigiNews as the last Highlighted Web Site.

Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of working with wonderful colleagues both at RLG and Cornell. Robin Dale served as Associate Editor from the very beginning, providing invaluable advice, support, and content along the way. Other RLG contributors included Nancy Elkington, Jennifer Hartzell, and Jane Moss. A total of seventeen staff at Cornell helped produce RLG DigiNews over the years. I’d particularly like to acknowledge the contributions of Oya Rieger (co-editor from 1997 to 2001), who co-developed the newsletter’s focus, and Nancy McGovern (co-editor from 2002-2006), for her deep understanding of digital preservation. Rich Entlich served as the FAQ editor, gaining well-deserved kudos for his thoughtful insights into technical dimensions of digital imaging and preservation. Peter Hirtle served as Advisor and frequent contributor, lending his expertise in intellectual property issues. Barbara Berger Eden edited the announcements and calendar of events for a number of years in her capacity as Production Editor. Carla DeMello brought her considerable design skills to bear on the look and feel of the newsletter. Others involved in production and editing included Ellie Buckley, Peter Botticelli, Jenn Colt-Demaree, Martha Crowe, John Dean, Kimberly Gazzo, Robert Glase, Valerie Jacoski, Erica Olsen, and Allen Quirk.

I can safely speak for all of my colleagues in expressing our gratitude to RLG for this decade of collaboration, to the many authors who contributed feature articles, FAQs, editor’s interviews and conference reports, and to the readers for their interest and timely feedback. We’ll continue to support RLG DigiNews as eager consumers of its newly conceived focus and direction.

Anne R. Kenney, Editor, RLG DigiNews