Category: Digital Curation & Digital Preservation

Guidance on Cloud Storage and Digital Preservation: How Cloud Storage Can Address the Needs of Public Archives in the UK

The National Archives (UK) has released Guidance on Cloud Storage and Digital Preservation: How Cloud Storage Can Address the Needs of Public Archives in the UK.

Here's an excerpt:

This Guidance is focussed on the cloud and its potential role in archival storage. It aims to help public archives in the UK develop an understanding of cloud storage and its potential contribution to their digital preservation activities, and to provide a balanced overview allowing archives to understand potential benefits and risks involved and the range of options available (including not using cloud if it does not meet your requirements).

Whilst primarily targeted at public archives, the aim is to provide information that will be useful within a range of organisational contexts, and overarching advice that can be translated into the private sector where relevant.

See also the case studies.

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2014 NDSA Innovation Award Winners

The National Digital Stewardship Alliance Innovation Working Group has announced the 2014 NDSA Innovation Award winners.

Here's an excerpt:

Institution: National Software Reference Library, National Institute for Standards and Technology: Recognized for their substantial leadership in building a national collection of software, developing and sharing workflows and approaches for software preservation, and for modeling approaches to corpus analysis of born digital collections. You can learn more about the NSRL in this interview.

Project: XFR STN, The New Museum. "XFR STN" (Transfer Station) acts as "an open-door artist-centered media archiving project." The project is recognized in particular for how it stands as a model for community-driven digital preservation activity, utilized existing platforms like the Internet Archive for long term preservation, and worked directly with artist and media creators to preserve their work.

Individual: Trevor Muñoz, Assistant Dean for Digital Humanities Research at the University of Maryland Libraries and an Associate Director of the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities. Recognized for his work developing and teaching best practices in data curation in the digital humanities and for his work advocating for digital preservation as a core function of librarianship, archival work, and scholarship.

Future Steward: Emily Reynolds, National Digital Stewardship Resident, The World Bank. Recognized for the quality of her work in a range of internships and student positions with ICPSR, University of Michigan Libraries, the Library of Congress, Brooklyn Historical Society, Storycorps, and, in particular, her recent work on the World Bank"™s eArchives project.

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Comparative Analysis of Distributed Digital Preservation (DDP) Systems

The Educopia Institute has released Comparative Analysis of Distributed Digital Preservation (DDP) Systems.

Here's an excerpt:

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)-funded Chronicles in Preservation project (http://metaarchive.org/neh/) completed this Comparative Analysis of three Distributed Digital Preservation systems to analyze their underlying technologies and methodologies:

  • Chronopolis using iRODS (http://chronopolis.sdsc.edu/).
  • University of North Texas using Coda (http://www.library.unt.edu/).
  • MetaArchive Cooperative using LOCKSS (http://metaarchive.org/).

Chronicles in Preservation is a three-year effort to study, document, and model techniques for the preservation of digital newspaper collections. This Comparative Analysis is based on a series of test exchanges between academic libraries curating digital newspaper collections and the three above- mentioned DDP systems.

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Preservation Health Check: Monitoring Threats to Digital Repository Content

OCLC Research has released Preservation Health Check: Monitoring Threats to Digital Repository Content.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

Preservation Health Check: Monitoring Threats to Digital Repository Content presents the preliminary findings of Phase 1 of our Preservation Health Check investigation of preservation monitoring and suggests that there is an opportunity to use PREMIS preservation metadata as an evidence base to support a threat assessment exercise based on the Simple Property-Oriented Threat (SPOT) model.

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Born-Digital U.S. Federal Government Information: Preservation And Access

The Center for Research Libraries has released Born-Digital U.S. Federal Government Information: Preservation And Access.

Here's an excerpt:

But the migration of government information from print to digital has introduced new problems into the challenge of preserving government information. Very little government information is being deposited in FDLP libraries. In 2013 the Government Printing Office (GPO) estimated that 97% of federal government information was born-digital and current GPO policy limits FDLP deposit of digital information to so-called "tangible" objects such as CD-ROMs and DVDs (GPO 2006), which create their own preservation problems (Gano). While libraries played an essential role in preservation of government information in the print era, most born-digital government information is not held, managed, organized, served, or preserved by libraries.

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Current State of 3D Object Digital Preservation and Gap-Analysis Report

DURAARK has released the Current State of 3D Object Digital Preservation and Gap-Analysis Report.

Here's an excerpt:

The gap analysis is approached through an in-depth analysis of two areas. One area is that of fundamental digital preservation tools and processes regardless of their content type. It describes processes and standards adapted by the global digital preservation community and implemented in archives of varying domains, e.g., archives dealing predominantly with e-publications as well as AV-archives. The second area is that of current existing processes for the digital preservation of 3D objects. It describes aspects and challenges which are uniquely tied to the long-term archiving process of this content-type and lists existing tools and standards. The gaps are identified through a comparison of the content type agnostic and the 3D-specific state of the art descriptions.

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Exemplar Good Governance Structures and Data Policies

APARSEN has released Exemplar Good Governance Structures and Data Policies.

Here's an excerpt:

This report summarises the level of preparedness for interoperable governance and data policies based on both desktop research on selected data policies and online survey conducted during this study. It is important to understand what current data policies address and if they miss out on important topics, such as specific requirements for data preservation. This will give an indication on the possible impact of such data policies on the individual communities and allows recommendations to be drawn up to guide forthcoming policies. This report concludes with selected recommendations that should be taken into account when drawing up data policies concerning digital preservation.

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Report on DRM Preservation

APARSEN has released the Report on DRM Preservation.

Here's an excerpt:

This report places the subject of Digital Rights and Access Management (DRM) within the context of long-term digital preservation and examines the related risks and challenges which arise in connection with the long-term archiving and ongoing accessibility of DRM-protected objects, and also the safeguarding of associated rights. It reviews the results of initiatives and projects already undertaken in this field and provides the results of a recent survey. It also analyses current user scenarios both within and outside the APARSEN consortium before offering a summary of recommendations and best practices for dealing with digital rights and DRM protected objects.

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"Digital Preservation File Format Policies of ARL Member Libraries: An Analysis"

Kyle Rimkus et al. have published "Digital Preservation File Format Policies of ARL Member Libraries: An Analysis" in D-Lib Magazine.

Here's an excerpt:

In the interest of gaining a broad view of contemporary digital preservation practice in North American research libraries, this paper presents the findings of a study of file format policies at Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member institutions. It is intended to present the digital preservation community with an assessment of the level of trust currently placed in common file formats in digital library collections and institutional repositories. Beginning with a summary of file format research to date, the authors describe the research methodology they used to collect and analyze data from the file format policies of ARL Library repositories and digital library services. The paper concludes with a presentation and analysis of findings that explore levels of confidence placed in image, text, audio, video, tabular data, software application, presentation, geospatial, and computer program file formats. The data show that file format policies have evolved little beyond the document and image digitization standards of traditional library reformatting programs, and that current approaches to file format policymaking must evolve to meet the challenges of research libraries' expanding digital repository services.

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"Time to Change: Effects and Implications of Digital Preservation in an Organizational Context"

Michelle Lindlar has published "Time to Change: Effects and Implications of Digital Preservation in an Organizational Context" in the IASSIST Quarterly.

Here's an excerpt:

Digital preservation within an organizational context requires different layers of change: During the implementation process the necessary resources have to be allocated and aligned. Since digital preservation is a cross-sectional task, drawing from the expertise of different stakeholders, this may require organizational change in form of new team structures. Furthermore, digital preservation is a rather fluid task, which requires constant monitoring and adaptability. Both change layers—the initial one as well as the ongoing one—have direct effects and implications on an organization.

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Guidelines for Digital Newspaper Preservation Readiness

The Educopia Institute has released Guidelines for Digital Newspaper Preservation Readiness.

Here's an excerpt:

These Guidelines are an effort to distill preservation-readiness steps into incremental processes that an institution of almost any size or type can deploy to begin maturing its digital newspaper content management practices.

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AV Digitisation and Digital Preservation TechWatch Report #01

The PrestoCentre has released the AV Digitisation and Digital Preservation TechWatch Report #01.

Here's an excerpt:

This first TechWatch Report has been written by members of PrestoCentre involved in the Presto4U project and was compiled through meetings they had with specialist technology vendors and researchers late 2013.

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Geospatial Data Stewardship: Key Online Resources

The National Digital Stewardship Alliance has released Geospatial Data Stewardship: Key Online Resources.

Here's an excerpt:

This document lists online resources that highlight key concepts and practices supporting the preservation and stewardship of digital geospatial data and information. GIS practitioners take the initial preservation actions in the decisions they make regarding data creation and management. Librarians, archivists and museum professionals are often called on to support access and the long-term historical and temporal analysis of these same materials. The resources below offer a starting point to methods, tools and approaches across the information lifecycle to assist in understanding current best practices in the stewardship of geospatial data.

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"PREMIS-Lite, a Preservation Metadata Generator"

Todd P. Swanson has published "PREMIS-Lite, a Preservation Metadata Generator" in Library Philosophy and Practice

Here's an excerpt:

Using the PREMIS standard as a model this project creates a "PREMIS-Lite" xml preservation metadata generator. This PREMIS-Lite XML generator and its supporting PREMIS-Lite semantic unit definition, user guide, and crosswalk combine to allow for the simple capture and creation of preservation metadata at the object level.

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DuraSpace Launches DSpaceDirect

DuraSpace has launched DSpaceDirect.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

Today the DuraSpace organization is pleased to announce the public launch of DSpaceDirect—the only hosted repository solution for low-cost discovery, access, archiving, and preservation. DSpaceDirect is now available with convenient features that include fast start-up, you-pick customization, no-cost upgrades, content preservation options, anytime data access and all-the-time data control—all at a price that puts solutions for long-term access to digital scholarly assets within reach of institutions of any size. . . .

Built on DSpace, the most widely-used repository application in the world with more than 1,500 installed instances, DSpaceDirect was inspired by the idea that the past creates the future as each generation builds knowledge on the scholarship that came before. DSpaceDirect is a hosted DSpace repository service that allows institutions of any size to afford to keep their digital content safe and accessible over time. Small institutions are able to get a repository up and running right away that can be made available to patrons as well as to new users worldwide. Users say that the DSpaceDirect easy start-up accelerates discussions about digital content stewardship and preservation best practices at their institutions.

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Mike Furlough Named Executive Director of HathiTrust

Mike Furlough has been named Executive Director of HathiTrust.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

The HathiTrust Board of Governors is pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Furlough as the Executive Director of HathiTrust. Furlough comes to HathiTrust from The Pennsylvania State University, where he is currently Associate Dean for Research and Scholarly Communications. Furlough has more than a dozen years of experience leading initiatives in digital scholarship, content stewardship, and scholarly communications, and has served for the last nine months as an inaugural member of HathiTrust's Program Steering Committee. Furlough will begin his tenure as Executive Director on May 19.

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Feet on the Ground: A Practical Approach to the Cloud—Nine Things to Consider When Assessing Cloud Storage

AudioVisual Preservation Solutions, has released Feet on the Ground: A Practical Approach to the Cloud—Nine Things to Consider When Assessing Cloud Storage.

Here's an excerpt:

There is no all-in-one solution that will fulfill every archives' needs for preservation storage. Often, cloud storage services fulfill a portion of an organization's larger preservation infrastructure, providing secure back up for preservation copies or supporting delivery of access files from low-latency storage. Vetting and selection is therefore the alignment of organizational and collection needs with the offerings and functionality of a service. This means defining your acceptance criteria for optimal functionality and understanding how a service will fit in your preservation environment.

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The Benefits and Risks of the PDF/A-3 File Format for Archival Institutions

The NDSA has released The Benefits and Risks of the PDF/A-3 File Format for Archival Institutions.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

The report takes a measured look at the costs and benefits of the widespread use of the PDF/A-3 format, especially as it effects content arriving in collecting institutions. It provides background on the technical development of the specification, identifies specific scenarios under which the format might be used and suggests policy prescriptions for collecting institutions to consider.

For example, the report suggests that for memory institutions, the acceptance of embedded files in PDF/A documents would depend on very specific protocols between depositors and archival repositories that clarify acceptable embedded formats and define workflows that guarantee that the relationship between the PDF document and any embedded files is fully understood by the archival institution.

Additionally, the report notes that the complexity of the PDF format and the wide variance in PDF rendering implementations and creating applications suggests that PDF/A-3 may be appropriate for use in controlled workflows, but may not be an appropriate choice as a general-purpose bundling format.

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APA/C-DAC International Conference on Digital Preservation and Development of Trusted Digital Repositories 2014 Proceedings

The APA/C-DAC International Conference on Digital Preservation and Development of Trusted Digital Repositories 2014 proceedings have been released.

Presentations and session videos are also available.

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"E-Science as a Catalyst for Transformational Change in University Research Libraries"

Mary E. Piorun has self-archived her dissertaion "E-Science as a Catalyst for Transformational Change in University Research Libraries."

Here's an excerpt:

Changes in how research is conducted, from the growth of e-science to the emergence of big data, have lead to new opportunities for librarians to become involved in the creation and management of research data, at the same time the duties and responsibilities of university libraries continue to evolve. This study examines those roles related to e-science while exploring the concept of transformational change and leadership issues in bringing about such a change. Using the framework established by Levy and Merry for first- and second-order change, four case studies of libraries whose institutions are members in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) are developed.

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"Troubleshooting Public Data Archiving: Suggestions to Increase Participation"

Dominique G. Roche et al. have published "Troubleshooting Public Data Archiving: Suggestions to Increase Participation" in PLOS Biology.

Here's an excerpt:

An increasing number of publishers and funding agencies require public data archiving (PDA) in open-access databases. PDA has obvious group benefits for the scientific community, but many researchers are reluctant to share their data publicly because of real or perceived individual costs. Improving participation in PDA will require lowering costs and/or increasing benefits for primary data collectors. Small, simple changes can enhance existing measures to ensure that more scientific data are properly archived and made publicly available: (1) facilitate more flexible embargoes on archived data, (2) encourage communication between data generators and re-users, (3) disclose data re-use ethics, and (4) encourage increased recognition of publicly archived data.

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"Research Libraries’ New Role in Research Data Management, Current Trends and Visions in Denmark"

The LIBER Quarterly has released a future article: "Research Libraries' New Role in Research Data Management, Current Trends and Visions in Denmark."

Here's an excerpt:

The first part of this paper presents the findings of a research project carried out under the auspices of DEFF. . . .This paper describes the various paths chosen by individual universities and research institutions, and the background for their strategies of research data management. Among the main reasons for the uneven practices are the lack of a national policy in this field, the different scientific traditions and cultures and the differences in the use and organization of IT-services. The second part of this paper presents perspectives of this development that are of particular relevance to research libraries. As they already curate digital collections and are active in establishing web archives,the research libraries become involved in research and dissemination of knowledge in new ways. This paper gives examples of how The State and University Library's services facilitate research data management with special regard to digitization of research objects, storage, preservation and sharing of research data. This paper concludes that the experience and skills of research libraries make the libraries important partners in a research data management infrastructure.

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A Workflow Model for Curating Research Data in the University of Minnesota Libraries: Report from the 2013 Data Curation Pilot

Lisa R. Johnston has self-archived A Workflow Model for Curating Research Data in the University of Minnesota Libraries: Report from the 2013 Data Curation Pilot.

Here's an excerpt:

The 2013 Data Curation Project set out to test and expand the University Libraries' programmatic and technical capacities to support research data management needs on campus by establishing a fixed-term data curation pilot. This pilot utilized our current suite of services and expertise in the University with the objective of developing a model workflow for curating a variety of types of research data in the Libraries. Specifically, in eight months, this project resulted in 1) a data curation workflow utilizing existing university resources; 2) five pilot research datasets that were solicited, selected, and curated for discovery and reuse in the libraries' digital repository, the University Digital Conservancy, at the persistent URL, http://purl.umn.edu/160292; and 3) and a summary report describing the successes and shortcomings of this approach. This report summarizes the steps taken to curate the datasets in the pilot, faculty needs and reactions to the result, and in addition to the specific dataset treatments, an overall data curation workflow is presented that outlines the steps needed for any dataset. A discussion of this process provides some useful lessons learned. As a result of this project, the University Libraries now hold a more realistic sense of the overall capacities and expertise needed to develop a sustainable data curation service model. Additionally, the Libraries are better prepared to fine-tune and implement selected recommendations from previous assessments and committee reports.

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Safe to Be Open: Study on the Protection of Research Data and Recommendation for Access And Usage

OpenAIRE has released Safe to Be Open: Study on the Protection of Research Data and Recommendation for Access And Usage.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

This study addresses the most important legal issues when implementing an open access e-infrastructure for research data. It examines the legal requirements for different kinds of usage of research data in an open access infrastructure, such as OpenAIREplus, which links them to publications. The existing legal framework regarding potentially relevant intellectual property (IP) rights is analysed from the general European perspective as well as from that of selected EU Member States. Various examples and usage scenarios are used to explain the scope of protection of the potentially relevant IP rights. In addition different licence models are analysed in order to identify the licence that is best suited to the aim of open access, especially in the context of the infrastructure of OpenAIREplus. Based on the outcomes of these analyses, some recommendations to the European legislator as well as data- and e-infrastructure providers are given on improving the rights situation in relation to research data.

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