Digital preservation

Abstract: This document is a technical Recommended Practice for use in developing a broader consensus on what is required for an archive to provide permanent, or indefinite Long Term, preservation of digital information. This Recommended Practice establishes a common framework of terms and concepts which make up an Open Archival Information System (OAIS). It allows existing and future archives to be more meaningfully compared and contrasted. It provides a basis for further standardization within an archival context and it should promote greater vendor awareness of, and support of, archival requirements. CCSDS has changed the classification of Reference Models from Blue (Recommended Standard) to Magenta (Recommended Practice). Through the process of normal evolution, it is expected that expansion, deletion, or modification of this document may occur. This Recommended Practice is therefore subject to CCSDS document management and change control procedures, which are defined in the Procedures Manual for the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems. Current issue updates document based on input from user community (note). Current versions of CCSDS documents are maintained at the CCSDS Web site: http://www.ccsds.org/

Abstract: The scientific record and the documentary heritage are increasingly created in digital form. The UK based Digital Curation Centre supports institutions who store, manage and preserve such data to help ensure its enhancement and continuing long-term use.The DCC (Digital Curation Centre) Curation Lifecycle Model provides a generic graphical high-level overview of the stages required for successful curation and preservation of digital material from initial conceptualisation. The model can be used to plan curation and preservation activities, to ensure sustainability of repository content or other digital material, within an organisation or consortium. It will help to ensure that all necessary stages are undertaken, each in the correct sequence. The model enables granular functionality to be mapped against it to define roles and responsibilities, and build a framework of standards and technologies to implement. It can help with the process of identifying additional steps which may be required, or actions which are not required by certain situations or disciplines, and of ensuring that processes and policies are adequately documented.Digital Curation Centre staff developed the model before undertaking a period of public consultation, which was recently completed. The newly ratified model will shortly be used by the DCC to ensure that information, services and advisory material cover all areas of the lifecycle. Domain-specific variations of the model will be developed, with greater levels of granularity, to help ensure that advice and information are easily accessible from the website. One planned utilisation is the development of domain specific standards frameworks within the DCC DIFFUSE Standards Frameworks, to help practitioners identify which standards they should be using and where they would be appropriately implemented.This poster will present the DCC Curation Lifecycle Model, incorporating the results of the public consultation period held during December 2007 to February 2008.

Abstract: The difficulty and expense of preserving digital information is a potential impediment to digital library development. Preservation of traditional materials became more successful and systematic after libraries and archives integrated preservation into overall planning and resource allocation. Digital preservation is largely experimental and replete with the risks associated with untested methods. Digital preservation strategies are shaped by the needs and constraints of repositories with little consideration for the requirements of current and future users of digital scholarly resources. This article discusses the present state of digital preservation, articulates requirements of both users and custodians, and suggests research needs in storage media, migration, conversion, and overall management strategies. Additional research in these areas would help developers of digital libraries and other institutions with preservation responsibilities to integrate long-term preservation into program planning, administration, system architectures, and resource allocation.