The British Library is developing a framework for collection profiling to document their digital collections and preservation requirements. They have identified high-level collection types and created initial profiles for collections like e-journals, eBooks, web archives, and archival materials. Collection profiling aims to provide key information about important digital collections to inform preservation planning, but challenges include the complexity of aggregated collections and rapidly changing user expectations.

1. Implementing Digital Preservation Strategy: Collection Profiling at the British Library
Michael Day, Akiko Kimura, Maureen Pennock The British Library
Ann MacDonald University of Kent, Canterbury
Michael.Day@bl.uk
Digital Libraries 2014, London, 8-12 September 2014

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Presentation outline
•The British Library context
•Identifying high-level collection types
•Developing a framework for collection profiling
•Some challenges

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The British Library context (1)
•The British Library is increasingly a digital library
–The result of digitisation activities and partnerships that have been operating over many years, covering many different content streams, e.g. books, newspapers, maps, sound content, manuscripts and archives
–The collection of ‘born-digital’ content, initially through negotiation or voluntary deposit, e.g. geographical data, personal archives
–Since April 2013, facilitated through the Legal Deposit Libraries (Non-Print Works) Regulations 2013, e.g. for collection of e-journals, eBooks and Web content (domain harvesting)

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The British Library context (2)
•Infrastructures
–Investment in the means to acquire, store and manage large amounts of digital content, the Digital Library System (DLS)
•Strategies
–British Library Content Strategy, 2013-2015
–British Library Digital Preservation Strategy, 2013-2016
•Digital Preservation Team
–Established in 2005, now part of Collection Management
–Enabling the implementation of appropriate and timely preservation practices across the Library

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The British Library context (3)
•Documenting preservation requirements, includes:
–What content do we have and what is important about it? (collection profiling)
–Assessments of file formats, preservation tools, workflows, etc. to inform preservation planning
•Aims of collection profiling:
–Documenting key knowledge about the Library’s top-tier digital collections
–Considering preservation requirements / preservation intent for these collections
–A tool for liaising with curators and collection specialists

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Identifying high-level collection types (1)

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Identifying high-level collection types (2)
•Taxonomy of high-level collections:
–No standard list of content types
–Various lists are available on the Library website and catalogue, but they are inconsistent
–Needed a pragmatic starting point for collection profiling:
•Developed a new taxonomy based on the Library’s existing digital asset register
•Attempted to identify logical groupings, e.g. ignoring distinctions between digitised and ‘born-digital’ content, where possible
•It is not perfect (subject to revision)

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Identifying high-level collection types (3)
Type
Collection
News Content
Digitised newspapers
Web content
Sound recordings
Born-digital newspapers
Books
Digitised printed books
NDLP eBooks
Voluntary deposit
Manuscripts / Archives
Digitised Manuscripts
Digitised archives
Personal digital archives
Music
Digitised Music Collections
Sheet Music
Maps
Digital mapping supplied by Ordnance Survey (GIS)
Digitised maps

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Identifying high-level collection types (4)
Type
Collection
Academic journals
NPLD eJournals
Voluntary deposit e-Journals
Subscription e-Journals
Voluntary deposit
Theses
eTheses
Patents
Patent databases
Web archives
Open UK Web Archive
Legal Deposit UK Web Archive
Sound / multimedia
Archive sound recordings
Sound Archive (field recordings)
Digitised sound / video
Stamps
Digitised stamps
Photographs
Digitised photographs
Printed ephemera
Digitised ephemera

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Collection profile framework (1)
•Main inspirations:
–MIT Libraries - Digital Content Reviews (DCR) for Life Cycle Management
–Purdue University Libraries - Data Curation Profiles
–National Library of Australia - Preservation Intent Statements

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Collection profile framework (2)
Summary
Content Type (from high-level list).
Brief Description.
Location.
Curators / collection owners.
Interviews held.
Legal Deposit status.
Creation status.
Accrual status.
Number of digital objects (approximate).
Background
An introduction to the content type, providing background on the collection/s covered by the profile.
Acquisition
Identifying the main current acquisition routes for collection content.
Preservation Intent
Summary of points agreed by curators / content owners, identifying the main characteristics of collections that will need to be preserved.
Acquisition Format
Identifying the main formats currently being acquired (where collections are complex, this does not need to be exhaustive).
Issues
Highlighting any specific current challenges.
Profile Metadata
Information about the completed collection profile itself, e.g. identifying creators, dates, and status / version number.

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Current draft profiles
•Draft profiles worked on so far:
–e-Journals (including Legal Deposit content)
–eBooks (including Legal Deposit content)
–Web content (including Legal Deposit content)
–Archives and manuscripts
–News content
–eTheses

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Some challenges
•Collections
–The complexity of collections - many are modular aggregations of many other kinds of content, e.g. text, images, video, sound, games, software, data, etc.
–Rapidly changing user-expectations - it is difficult to specify preservation intent (and it will change over time)
•Collection profiling and preservation planning
–Integrating collection profiling with other digital preservation activities
–Collection profiling is just a starting point (profiles will need to be reviewed on a regular basis)

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Thank you