Digital Preservation Planning: Just Do It!

Digital Preservation Planning
Just Do It!
Kristine Bunnell
Valarie Kingsland
Lisa C. Krynicki
Neva Reece
Rachel Seale

Digital Preservation Outreach and Education (DPOE)

Introductions
Kristine Bunnell - Anchorage
Lisa C. Krynicki, Esq. - Fairbanks

Valarie Kingsland - SJSU SLIS - Seward
Neva Reece - North Star School Library - Anchorage

Rachel Seale - UAF Rasmuson Library - Fairbanks


Agenda
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About LOC DPOE
About Digital Preservation
Module 1: Identify
Module 2: Select
Module 3: Store
Overview Modules 4-6
Questions and Comments


LOC DPOE Train the Trainer

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August 2013
Three day workshop

UAF Rasmuson Library
24 participants
Intense curriculum

Notable leadership

http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/education/ttt.html


What is Digital Preservation?
Digital preservation is the active management of
digital content over time to ensure ongoing access.
The National Digital Information Infrastructure and
Preservation Program (NDIIPP) is implementing a
national strategy to collect, preserve and make
available significant digital content, especially
information that is created in digital form only, for
current and future generations.

Why Digital Preservation?

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Digital content is abundant.

It’s easy to put it off.
Digital disasters happen.
No one thinks it will happen to them.
Start planning today.


Digital Disasters

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Loss of data
Data corruption - Bit rot

Changes in technology

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Software
Formats

Inaccessibility

DPOE’s Mission
“...is to foster national outreach and
education to encourage individuals and
organizations to actively preserve their
digital content, building on a collaborative
network of instructors, contributors, and
institutional partners.”


DPOE Baseline Modules
1. Identify - What digital content do you have?
2. Select - What portion of that content will be preserved?
3. Store - What issues are there for long term storage?
4. Protect - What steps are needed to protect your digital content?
5. Manage - What provisions are needed for long-term
management?

6. Provide - What considerations are there for long-term access?


Managing Content Over Time
manage
protect
store
identify

provide

select


Objectives
• Provide an overview of first three modules
for digital content management
• Suggest concrete steps for each stage
• Recommends additional sources to consult
• Provide contact information for Alaska
DPOE Trainers
• Make connections and start planning!


Module 1: Identify

Version: AK Awesome – 2/28/14


Modules
Identify - what digital content do you have?
Select - what portion of that content will be preserved?
Store - what issues are there for long term storage?
Protect - what steps are needed to protect your digital content?
Manage - what provisions are needed for long-term management?
Provide - what considerations are there for long-term access?


Why do we identify content?
• Preservation requires an explicit commitment of
resources
• Effective planning is based on knowing the extent of
what will be preserved
• Identifying content is a first step to planning for
current and future preservation needs
• Not all digital content in and around an organization
will be preserved
An explicit inventory is the best way to identify content

How will an inventory help?
Good preservation decisions are based on
an understanding of the possible content to
be preserved
The Identify stage addresses:
“what content do I (or will I) have?”


Is your inventory even digital?

Inventory Considerations

•Inventory content more important than style
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and format
Inventory results should be:
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Documented: an inventory needs to be captured
Usable: simple format to sort, list, etc.
Available: accessible to team, managers, others
Scalable: content will be added during Select
Current: update periodically

Inventory Tips

• Use available, familiar software
to get started
– What software or tools do
you already have?
– What free or open source
tools might be useful?

• Be consistent, comprehensive,
and concise

Inventory Scope
Questions about our content or resources:

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What digital content do we currently have?
We already preserving?
Do/will our producers create?
Are we required to keep?
Do we need to review?

Will help us do our jobs?
Will help plan/preserve our communities?
Will tell our story?


CityView Historic Properties Module

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Available as ArcInfo GIS file
Facilitates access to and
research for potential
impacted properties and
cultural resources
Valuable information when
Area of Potential Effect is
defined
Context Sensitive Design
Process for historic
properties and historic
districts

Level of Detail

• Inventories can be general to detailed
• Determine appropriate level of detail for you
• Factors in determining level of detail:
– Extent of content to be inventoried
– Nature and location of content to be
inventoried
– Resources available to complete inventory
– Timeframe, deadlines for completing
inventory

Content Categories
Inventories should include all
relevant, e.g.:

•Institutional records
•Special collections
•Scholarly content
•Maps, Surveys, Reports, Meetings
•Web content


Format Types
Include format types in inventory information
• Images
• Video
• Audio
• Text
• Maps/geospatial
• Drawings
• Web content
• Structured data


File-level Tools
Tools are available to help you determine
characteristics of your files (DPOE resources):
– Look around for tools to help you and that will
stand the test of time
– Results will contribute information needed for
the Select stage


Date Considerations
Inventories should note:

•Date of inventory – and updates to it
•Date of files – when possible
•Dates covered in content – even approximate
•Date created/received – if relevant, possible

Location Issues
Locations of content are important – consider:

•Method to specify online/offline location
•General location – e.g., with us, with creator
•Ability to change locations as content moves
•Method storage systems use to note
location

Be clear enough without going to
extremes…


Identify Outcomes
• Identify potential digital content you may need to preserve
• Treat the inventory as a management tool that grows as
your program grows


Identify Outcomes

•Use it as a planning tool to prepare
– e.g., staff, training, annual growth

•Provides a basis for acquiring content,
defining submission agreements, plans,
requests for proposals, developing and
acquiring new digital data!

Module 2: Select

Presented by Neva Reece

Why select content to preserve?
• Storage may be cheap, management is not
… especially over time

• Quality of content
• Discovery and dissemination services
… scale, scope, performance, sustainability

• Matching mission to content


Terms for Select
Different terms in different domains:
• Archives – appraisal and scheduling
• Libraries – e.g., selection
• Museums – e.g., acquisition
But there are common outcomes


Steps
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Review your potential digital content
Define and apply selection criteria
Document (and preserve) selection decisions
Implement your decisions


Priorities
If you need to prioritize your review, consider:
• Most significant (producer, content)
• Most extensive
• Most requested
• Easiest (e.g., most familiar)
• Oldest (possible historical importance)
• Newest (possible immediate interest)
• Mandate (local, legislation, etc.)

Selection Criteria
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Acquisition or collection development policy
Departmental criteria (priorities, precedents)
Core record/content types (need no review)
Research criteria (interests, significance)
Uniqueness (only source)
Value (historical, evidential, can’t reproduce)
Preserved elsewhere (avoid duplication)

Considerations during Review
Stop if or when the answer is ‘no’…
1. Content
– does the content have value?
– does it fit your scope?

2. Technical
– is it feasible for you to preserve the content?

3. Access
– is it possible to make the content available?

Project Management
• Treat selection as an ongoing structured
project to plan and coordinate the process
• Contact content creators (as needed)
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Arrange a convenient time for them
Prepare brief statement of outcomes
Identify list of materials to review with them
Send a reminder before the meeting
Document the results and send them a copy

Skills and Experience
May benefit from a team-based approach
• Analytical skills
– Review and understand content
– Determine relationships and significance
– Make sound and consistent judgments

• Interpersonal skills
– Communicate clearly and compellingly

• Technical Skills
– Determine feasibility of preservation and access


Documentation
Supplement inventory from Identify
• Descriptions – more granular
– Not item level, but enough to specify categories

• Extent
– How much content is there/will there be?

• Use
– When will content no longer be active?

• Rights
– Who owns rights to preserve and disseminate?

Select Outcomes
Possible products of selecting content:
• Expanded inventories of content to preserve
• Agreements with producers: e.g., retention
schedules, acquisition lists, submission agreements

Objective:
• Gain control of possible content for planning
• Develop a sustainable program


Managing Digital Content over
Time:
Store Module
Lisa C. Krynicki
Rachel Seale


Modules
Identify - what digital content do you have?
Select - what portion of that content will be preserved?
Store - what issues are there for long term storage?
Protect - what steps are needed to protect your digital content?
Manage - what provisions are needed for long-term management?
Provide - what considerations are there for long-term access?

DPOE Baseline Modules: Identify, version 2.0, Nov 2011

What are storage needs?


Archival Storage manages content as objects


Digital content (files + metadata = object)
May include any type of content

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–e.g., images, text, sound, video, maps
File
Object
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Metadata

Requires some identification and description
(Captured as metadata)

Well-managed Collections


Well-managed Collections
Well-managed status makes preservation
easier.
Sample characteristics of well-managed
collections:

•Basic information about each deposit
•Minimal metadata for objects (you define)
•Common (or normalized) file formats
•Controlled and known storage of content
•Multiple copies in at least 2 locations


File Type Considerations
• Sustainability of digital
formats
• Self-documentation
• Disclosure (complete
(inclusion of metatdata)
technical specifications • External dependencies
are accessible)
(on particular OS,
• Adoption (extent of
software or hardware)
acceptance)
• Impacts of patents or
• Transparency
license
(openness to direct
analysis without
proprietary tools)
SOURCE: http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/formats/

Importance of Metadata
• How do you know what an object is?
− Metadata uniquely identifies digital objects

• How do you use content in the future?
– Metadata makes digital objects
understandable

• How do you know an object is authentic?
– Metadata allows objects to be traced over
time

Metadata enables long-term preservation

Object-level Metadata

Preservation Metadata
Content (what), Fixity (unchanged), Provenance (life story),
Reference (this thing), Context (relationships)

Administrative
(manage)

Structural
(understand,
use)

Descriptive
(find, use)

Diagram courtesy DPM Workshops

Object Metadata
Characteristics
Preservation Metadata
Content (what), Fixity (unchanged), Provenance
(life story), Reference (this thing), Context
(relationships)

Content: preserve the substance
Fixity: demonstrate content is unchanged
Provenance: trace to its origin (or to deposit)
Reference: identify as this content and no other
Context: preserve linkages with other objects
Original source: Preserving Digital Information Report, 1996

Metadata schemas
and element sets
•Dublin Core
•EAD – Encoded Archival Description
•METS – Metadata Encoding and Transmission
Standard


Number of Copies
How many copies are enough for you?
Minimum: two (2) copies in two location
Optimum: six (6) copies


Number of Copies
In separate locations


Examples of storage factors:

• Video files are too large to
store six copies
• Possible legal restrictions (e.g.,
storage locations)
• Types of media used for storing
the content


Storage Media Options

•Content (objects) are kept on storage media
•Options include: online, near-line, offline
•Factors for choosing options include
• Cost (available resources for preservation)
• Quantity (size and number of files)
• Expertise (skills required to manage)
• Partners (achieving geographic distribution)
• Services (outsourcing)

Storage Considerations
• Multiple, geographically distributed copies
• Storage Partners
• Hosted services, e.g.

This is a service to make it easy for
organizations to use cloud services to manage
content over time

Repository Selection
If you decide to use (build, join, buy) a repository

•Range of types to consider:

–general (any content) to special (format-specific)
–open source to proprietary
–easy to advanced installation and management
Each option has pros and cons
No system is fully compliant to standards
Select best option for your content – for now

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Digital Preservation
Necessities

•Develop a storage management policy
•Number of copies, location, fixity, migration, etc.
•Specify storage service or partnership
agreements
Monitor copies periodically for content
errors, change, degradation, or damage
Plan for periodic media replacement
Plan for periodic storage need increases

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Resources
• Metadata for digital collections : a how to-do-it manual / Steven J. Miller (Howto-do-it manuals ; no. 179). ISBN 978-1-5557-746-0

• "Understanding Metadata," National Information Standards Organization, 2004
http://www.niso.org/publications/press/UnderstandingMetadata.pdf

• "Planning for Digital Preservation: 20 Questions for Providers of Digital Storage
Services," Bernard Reilly, Center for Research Libraries
http://www.nedcc.org/assets/media/documents/QuestionstoAskProvidersofDigi
talStoragefinal.pdf

• “Distributed Digital Preservation in the Cloud,” David S. H. Rosenthal, Daniel L.
Vargas, LOCKSS Program.
http://www.lockss.org/locksswp/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IDCC2013.pdf

• "File Formats and Guidelines,” Harvard University Office for Information
Systems, September 2009 http://hul.harvard.edu/ois/digpres/guidance.html


Review
Valarie Kingsland


Today’s Modules
1. Identify - what digital content do you have?
Define the digital content within the scope of responsibility.
2. Select - what portion of that content will be preserved?
Specify the digital content you need/want to preserve.

3. Store - what issues are there for long term storage?
Establish requirements for storing files in preservation formats.
Determine (and review) your best option for storing your
content.

Module 4 - Protect
Protect - What steps are needed to protect your
digital content?

Ensure that your content is secure during day-today activities.
Work to ensure that your content is prepared for
an emergency.


Module 5 - Manage
Manage - What provisions are needed for long-term
management?

Develop (and review) plans for managing content
over time.
Use policies to contain and develop your
preservation program.


Module 6 - Provide
Provide - What considerations are there for long-term
access?

Remember that long-term access is the purpose of
preservation.
make sure that means to deliver content to users
remains current.


Identifying Next Steps
• Think about your current situation
• Write down the top 2 or 3 things you think you
most need to do – not more than 3
• For each one, think through:
• Who you might work with at your organization or with a
colleague/friend somewhere else
• Challenges you might face and ways to address those
• How much time you might need (available time)
• What the specific outcome will be

• Pick the one to start with
DPOE Baseline Modules: Wrap Up, version 2.0, Nov 2011

Resources
DPOE Train the Trainer Workshops
http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/education/ttt.html
Atlas of Digital Damages
http://www.atlasofdigitaldamages.info/v1/
NDCC Free Resources for Digital Preservation
http://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/digital-preservation
ALCTS Preservation Week, April 27 - May 3
http://www.ala.org/alcts/confevents/preswk
Preservation Basics for Paper and Media Collections
http://unfacilitated.preservation101.org/loggedin.asp

Questions
Comments
Feedback
The perfect is the enemy of the good.
~ Voltaire

Thank You for joining us!
Kristine Bunnell
Valarie Kingsland
Lisa C. Krynicki
Neva Reece
Rachel Seale


Digital Preservation Planning: Just Do It!

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