Digital preservation
Critical elements of preserving digital collections
The National Library defines digital preservation as the processes involved in maintaining the required level of accessibility of digital objects over time. The Library believes the following critical elements are required in preserving its digital collections:
- Influencing, if possible, the way digital objects are created
and managed before archiving, so that they are able to be preserved,
including influencing:
- whether the file formats used are appropriate and able to be accessed, managed or migrated for a long time
- whether sufficient information has been captured to meet the ongoing needs for which the resource was created
- whether the file formats have been used in standard ways
- how well the files are identified
- whether data is carried on media that can be used for successful transfer of the data to an archive
- how well files are managed and secured prior to archiving.
- Making good decisions about what should be kept, with a good understanding
of the preservation objectives that have to be achieved for the material,
including:
- ensuring decisions are informed, consistent, and explicit
- identifying for whom the material is being kept and what they might wish to do with it
- identifying the documentation, context, and other objects that will be needed to make it meaningful
- understanding the level of authenticity that must be demonstrated.
- Having the legal right to take action to meet the required preservation and access objectives.
- Successfully transferring the files to "a safe place", including:
- ensuring suitable carriers and file formats are used for transfer
- ensuring appropriate, efficient and secure transfer mechanisms are used (whether they be deposit, harvesting, or some other approach)
- checking that transfer has been successful
- creating an archival information package, including linked or embedded metadata, for ingest into archive storage.
- Identifying and describing the archived files so they can be discovered,
managed and re-presented, including:
- persistently identifying and maintaining reliable links to the archived objects
- clearly describing what they are
- clearly identifying their technical characteristics
- identifying who is responsible for their management and preservation
- describing what can be done to them
- describing what is needed to re-present them at the required level of fidelity
- recording their history and documenting their authenticity
- allowing users to understand their context and relationship to other objects.)
- Managing the archive and preservation program successfully, including:
- understanding the risks that have to be managed and being able to recognise them in sufficient time to take manageable appropriate action
- understanding stakeholders and their interests
- making good decisions about resources and business models
- knowing the collection well enough to manage it, including file formats preservation and access objectives, and rights
- having detailed knowledge of appropriate standards and approaches
- planning achievable programs
- being able to manage service provider contracts if they are being used.)
- Managing the data streams so they are safe, including:
- storing the data in a “safe place”
- knowing who is responsible
- having the required infrastructure of hardware, software, systems, and expertise
- choosing good quality storage media, protecting them from threat, and replacing them before data streams are threatened with loss
- maintaining and replacing the technical infrastructure as necessary
- ensuring secure data back up arrangements
- ensuring system and physical security
- being fully prepared to respond to emergency threats.)
- Ensuring there are always viable means of providing access, including:
- making decisions about acceptable levels of loss
- deciding what elements or functionality must be re-presented
- providing workable means of re-presenting the digital objects
- having contingency plans in case the preferred means of providing access do not work.
