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PADI Selection Criteria

  1. Introduction
  2. Content
  3. Scope
  4. Format
  5. Special inclusions
  6. Exclusions

    Appendix 1. Resource Types
    Appendix 2. Digital Preservation Topics


1. Introduction

Focus: The PADI website is a subject gateway providing access to resources about digital preservation. PADI aims to map progress at the forefront of digital preservation initiatives, by identifying the current issues being addressed, the principal groups involved, and the main directions being explored.

Audience: Resources selected for inclusion on PADI aim to be of interest to a wide audience, including digital preservation professionals, electronic records managers, librarians, archivists, collection managers, creators, policy makers, museum curators, audiovisual specialists, systems designers and information technologists.


2. Content

Subject: The major criterion governing selection of a resource for PADI is that a significant component of the information presented should relate to the preservation of digital information; material that relates purely to short-term access to digital information should not be placed on the site. The single exception is events, which are included more broadly, and are considered relevant if they provide information that contributes to an understanding of the context of digital preservation. For more detailed guidance on Resource Types and Digital Preservation Topics for inclusion on PADI, please refer to Appendices 1 and 2.

Relationship to other material on the site: Whilst excessive duplication of similar materials should be avoided, selection of resources reflecting a range of viewpoints on like issues is encouraged. Resources which make a useful contribution to overall topical or geographical coverage are welcomed for inclusion on the site.

The following general criteria should also be applied when selecting material for inclusion on PADI:


3. Scope

Accuracy: The information presented in resources selected for PADI should be accurate. Resources should be relatively free from typographical and grammatical errors, and should be carefully compiled.

Currency: To maintain the currency of the site, selected resources should be of recent issue (that is, produced in the last five years), or subject to regular updates. In general, past events are only entered if they are of core significance; published papers of past conferences are considered for selection when they become available. However, a category of highly significant material, which may not reflect current practice or be of recent issue, but which is important in documenting the evolving area of digital preservation, is also of interest to the site.

Reliability: The stability of sites should also be considered when selecting resources. Those resources with stable organisational support, and firm funding or sponsorship structures, are the most likely to be reliably maintained.

Authority: Those resources created, published and produced by reputable individuals or organisations are the most likely to contain high quality information. Expertise of authors (if known), the nature of the publishing organisation, and reliable lists of references can be used as indications of a site’s authority.

Coverage: PADI indexes resources specifically concerned with preserving access to digital information, as well as broader topical materials which include digital preservation as a component. In selecting, materials displaying good depth of coverage rather than superficial treatment of issues are favoured. As an international subject gateway, global, national and regional geographical resources are all within scope, providing they are of relevance to other practitioners. Resources in any language may be selected.


4. Format

Physical format: PADI provides links to a range of electronic and print resources, including websites, papers and events.

Method of access: To be included on PADI, readily accessible materials which contain an online link to a website or email address are preferred, though some key print-based resources are selected. Materials which require special equipment or software for operation through the Internet are of less value to PADI users.


5. Special inclusions

Other resources: In special instances, materials outside the scope of the above criteria may be selected for PADI. For example, an innovative project in another field of specialisation, which may have potential application in the area of digital preservation, might be included.


6. Exclusions

Commercial sites which contain a large amount of promotional or advertising material.

Personal sites, unless they provide information of outstanding value.

For further information or assistance in using these guidelines, please contact:

PADI Coordinator
Preservation Services
National Library of Australia
email:padi@nla.gov.au


Appendix 1. Resource Types

The following Resource Types may be selected for the PADI database:

Article: This grouping comprises articles and papers on topics relating to the preservation of access to digital information; included under the heading are individual papers from published conference proceedings.

Bibliography: Indexed under this heading are websites and publications listing resources either chiefly or partially relating to the preservation of access to digital information.

Case Study: This resource type is assigned to case studies describing the handling of actual material, which focus on the preservation of access to digital information, or which may explore the digital preservation issues of a wider project.

Discussion List: Included in this category are discussion lists of interest to those engaged in the preservation of access to digital information; in view of the diverse occupational base of PADI users, relevant lists may originate from a variety of areas.

Event: As well as conferences and other events focusing on the preservation of digital information, meetings that provide an understanding of the context of digital preservation may be selected. In general, events should be current; however, retrospective events may be selected if they are core to digital preservation, or if linked to published papers.

Glossary: Encompasses glossaries, dictionaries and thesauri containing terms that are relevant to preserving digital information; these may include lists of definitions produced by practitioners employed across the breadth of information technologies.

Journal: Journals, newsletters and newspapers containing articles of interest to those wishing to preserve digital information are indexed here. Resources that are seminal, current, and contain analysis or links to other digital preservation sites are considered the most useful for inclusion.

Organisation: This resource type focuses on organisations that manage or document the preservation of digital information, either as a major focus or as a component of their activities.

Policy/Strategy/Guideline: This category comprises resources which provide useful general statements about ideas or practical approaches to digital preservation; such materials are often issued in the form of guidelines, policy statements or official strategies.

Project: A category used for reports describing projects that address the preservation of access to digital material either as a major focus, or as a single aspect of a wider project.

Website: Indexed under this heading are websites that document the preservation of access to digital information; the category may also include more general sites or pages that have a useful digital preservation component.

External: Resources assigned this category are stored in the PADI database but do not display on the website. The type is used for indexing materials which are themselves too general for inclusion on PADI, but which contain as a subset a chapter or part (entered separately on the database) dealing more specifically with the preservation of access to digital information. In this way, the relationship between the subset and the entire resource may be recorded.


Appendix 2. Digital Preservation Topics

Resources from the following Digital Preservation Topics may be selected for the PADI database. Should you wish to add a new topic, please contact the PADI Coordinator at padi@nla.gov.au

General Resources: This type is assigned to resources addressing the preservation of access to digital information from a broad perspective.

Issues

Archiving: In PADI, this topic specifically refers to digital archiving, that is the technique of identifying, collecting and storing digital materials for preservation and future access; resources dealing with the broader concerns of traditional paper-based archiving methods are not selected for the site.

Authenticity: Authenticity relates to the degree of confidence a user can have that an object is the same as the one expected, based on a prior reference, or in what it purports to be. Included here are resources discussing authenticity issues relating to preserving digital material, often in association with the related subjects of conversion, storage, transmission, rendering, functionality, metadata, encapsulation and encryption.

Costs: This topic is assigned to resources discussing the costs involved in providing long-term access to digital information; selected materials may include financial analyses and quantifications of preserving digital records.

Roles and responsibilities: Brought together under this heading are resources analysing the changing relationships of those responsible for the long-term preservation of digital materials. Materials may specifically address the new roles of information systems designers and suppliers, creators, publishers, distributors and collectors in the preservation chain, or explore broader models for cooperation and sharing of responsibilities.

Selection: This heading refers to the process of choosing digital materials to which long-term access will be preserved.

Storage: Grouped in this category are resources examining the strategies and methods for storing digital information to ensure its long-term accessibility; selected materials may discuss the choice of media on which information is to be stored, or consider the most appropriate format for storing data on those media.

Technological obsolescence: Technological obsolescence is a result of the evolution of technology, whereby existing processes and systems become outmoded. Resources dealing with the impact of the evolution of technology on the preservation of digital objects are included here.

Strategies

Digital preservation strategies: This category comprises general resources about methods for preserving access to digital information.

Emulation: Resources included in this category pertain to emulation, or the process of mimicking, in software, a piece of hardware or software so that other processes think the original equipment or function is still available in its original form; selected materials may discuss issues relating to preservation of the functionality of, and access to, digital information (which might otherwise be lost due to technological obsolescence).

Encapsulation: This topic refers to the method of preserving digital materials by grouping together a digital object with the accompanying data necessary to provide access to that object.

Migration: The migration of digital information refers to the transfer of data to new hardware or software configurations, for the purpose of preserving access to information. As migrated copies are not always exactly the same as original versions, chosen resources may consider which components of the material to be migrated need to be preserved.

Intellectual Property Rights Management: This topic deals with the intellectual property rights and copyright issues relating to preserving access to digital information. As copyright restrictions can affect the preservation of access to digital information by impeding the application of preservation strategies, resources included here may consider the effect of legislation on techniques such as migration and refreshing (both of which involve copying of intellectual property).

Data Documentation & Standards

Metadata: Metadata is structured information that describes resources. In PADI, this category is limited to resources relating to preservation metadata; general metadata resources are only indexed if they are key specifications, or if they provide some context for resources about preservation metadata.

Preservation metadata: This topic refers to metadata created specifically for preservation purposes; it can be contrasted with descriptive metadata schemas such as MARC, which are used in the discovery and identification of digital objects. Largely administrative in nature, preservation metadata is used for the description of technical information supporting preservation decisions and action; accordingly, metadata types discussed under this heading may document preservation strategies, or note information about collection and rights management.

Persistent identifiers: Persistent and unique identifiers preserve access to Internet resources, regardless of the resource’s actual location on the Web; materials in this category selected for PADI may deal with the various methods of using identifiers to ensure long-term access to, and preservation of, digital materials.

Standards: Relevant resources will be about the role of standards in preserving access to digital information; or about standards which play this role.

Formats & Media

Email: Indexed here are resources relating to the long-term retention of communications that are sent or received via an electronic messaging system; selected materials should explore the preservation of access of electronic personal records, and may include discussions of email as evidence, strategies to ensure authenticity, and methods for the active preservation of records of enduring value.

Audio and audiovisual material: This category is used for resources discussing the special challenges of preserving access to digital sound, moving image, audiovisual and multimedia material.

Physical format digital material: Physical format digital material is information in digital form which is stored on transportable media, eg. floppy disks, magnetic tape, CDs and DVDs. Relevant resources may deal with the technical concerns of media instability, technological change, metadata, migration and emulation; other resources may focus on management issues affecting long-term preservation such as legal deposit, copyright, access, licensing, collection development and cataloguing.

Optical disks: A category referring to digital information preserved on optical disks such as CD-R, CD-ROM and DVD. Existing resources in this category explore the problems of media deterioration and technological obsolescence, and comment on preservation strategies to overcome these problems.

Magnetic media: This topic encompasses magnetic devices used to store digital data, such as visual and audiotapes and floppy disks; relevant resources may address methods of prolonging the life of information on current physical carriers, and techniques to guarantee access in a changing technological environment.

Networked digital information: This topic refers to the various forms of information accessible through a communications network such as the Internet; examples include ‘web documents’, ‘Internet publications’ or ‘online materials’.

National Approaches

Managing national collections of electronic publications: At present this topic is limited to specially commissioned summary reports from six national libraries in Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The papers record each institution’s progress in designing and building systems for the handling of electronic publications. Reports from other countries are encouraged.

Legal deposit: This category is used for information about the legal deposit of digital publications in individual countries and the impact of legal deposit legislation on the preservation of digital information.

National strategies: Indexed under this heading are materials describing specifically national responses to the management and preservation of digital information; such initiatives are usually led by a national library, archive or similar organisation, and the resultant strategies are often documented in the form of plans, guidelines, or policy statements.

Digitisation

Digitisation refers to the conversion of non-digital material to digital form (that is, a form which uses a binary numerical code to represent variables). Selected resources will document digitisation or digital imaging where attention is given to long-term access requirements. Resources which do not consider preservation or broadly describe digitisation procedures should not be added to PADI.

Digital records

This topic applies to the digital or electronic records that preserve the evidence of past and current policy, procedures, actions and decisions for future access and analysis; sub-topics include discussions of strategies and systems which guarantee the authenticity and retrievability of records in order to maintain their value as evidence.

Digital libraries

Digital library research encompasses a broad range of issues associated with preserving access to digital information. Only resources which deal with the long-term access issues surrounding digital libraries should be selected.

Management

Digital preservation management has been broadly defined 'as the managed activities necessary for ensuring the long-term retention and continued accessibility of digital materials' (Preservation Management of Digital Materials: A Handbook). Digital preservation managers must deal with issues such as technological awareness, decision-making, planning, leadership, monitoring and accountability, and resource and skills management.

Resources indexed under this topic are those concerning the establishment and management of digital preservation programs at a broad level. Resources pertaining to the management of specific processes are covered under the corresponding topic, and preservation managers will need to acquaint themselves with all relevant resources on PADI.

For more detailed guidance, please refer to the Digital Preservation Topics section of the PADI website.

Last updated: 30 July 2002
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