VidArch Preserving Video Objects and Context: A Demonstration Project Helen R. Tibbo School of Information and Library Science University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Funding for this Project This work was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation #IIS DigArch Program

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, VidArch Team Gary Marchionini Gary Marchionini Helen Tibbo Helen Tibbo Christopher Lee Christopher Lee Paul Jones Paul Jones Special Thanks to SILS Students: Dawne Howard Dawne Howard Terrell Russell Terrell Russell Sanghee Oh Sanghee Oh Yaxiao Song Yaxiao Song

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, VidArch Partners National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) Open Video (OV) Open Video (OV) ibiblio ibiblio

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Challenges of Video Preservation Temporal medium with multiple information representation channels Temporal medium with multiple information representation channels Multiple visual and audio Multiple visual and audio Human-readable or machine-readable content. Human-readable or machine-readable content. Video object’s meaning is greater than the sum of its parts; Video object’s meaning is greater than the sum of its parts; Preservation must attend to the whole as well as the parts. Preservation must attend to the whole as well as the parts.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Goals of Project Make videos not only accessible, but also understandable in the future; Make videos not only accessible, but also understandable in the future; Develop a preservation framework for digital video context that includes preservation of persistent context; Develop a preservation framework for digital video context that includes preservation of persistent context; Develop a workflow model that focuses on the capture of contextual information; Develop a workflow model that focuses on the capture of contextual information; Explore the design and feasibility of a video or multimedia-enhanced finding aid; Explore the design and feasibility of a video or multimedia-enhanced finding aid; Develop decision support tools for the acquisition, ingest, and preservation of context. Develop decision support tools for the acquisition, ingest, and preservation of context.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Theoretical Foundation Builds from OAIS Reference Model; Builds from OAIS Reference Model; Blends conceptualizing power of archival finding aids with complexity and information- rich nature of video; Blends conceptualizing power of archival finding aids with complexity and information- rich nature of video; Based in the vision that long-term provision of contextualized access Based in the vision that long-term provision of contextualized access Makes digital objects understandable over time; Makes digital objects understandable over time; Is essential to long-term preservation; Is essential to long-term preservation; Is dependent on metadata. Is dependent on metadata.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Metadata Several schemes and standards – METS, NLNZ, etc.; Several schemes and standards – METS, NLNZ, etc.; Preservation metadata – PREMIS; Preservation metadata – PREMIS; What is needed for long-term access and understandability? What is needed for long-term access and understandability? Object-specific annotations; Object-specific annotations; Collection-level descriptions and integration/ links among objects; Collection-level descriptions and integration/ links among objects; State of the world information. State of the world information.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Context… Can make materials useful and comprehendible across time and space; Can make materials useful and comprehendible across time and space; Is a hallmark of a well-written finding aid; Is a hallmark of a well-written finding aid; Is often expensive to capture. Is often expensive to capture.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Open Video Housed within SILS; Housed within SILS; Collects and makes available digitized video content for a wide audience; Collects and makes available digitized video content for a wide audience; Significantly, Open Video began as a project to provide researchers with access to video to facilitate the study of video problems; Significantly, Open Video began as a project to provide researchers with access to video to facilitate the study of video problems; It now finds itself a repository with preservation as well as access needs. It now finds itself a repository with preservation as well as access needs.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13,

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, NASA Collection 2003, partnered with NASA Langley’s Center for Distance Learning; 2003, partnered with NASA Langley’s Center for Distance Learning; OV provides digital video file version of four educational programs; OV provides digital video file version of four educational programs; Video comes from NASA and passes through the OV workflow. Video comes from NASA and passes through the OV workflow.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, NASA Collection on OV

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, ACM Collection Videos presented at research conference sponsored by the Association of Computing Machinery; Videos presented at research conference sponsored by the Association of Computing Machinery; SIGCHI has accepted juried videos since 1983; SIGCHI has accepted juried videos since 1983; 427 videos in OV’s ACM collection; 427 videos in OV’s ACM collection; Videos of widely varying quality with a range of metadata. Videos of widely varying quality with a range of metadata.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, VidArch Methodology Explore Open Video workflow; Explore Open Video workflow; Identify sources of context from OV workflow process; Identify sources of context from OV workflow process; Build framework to articulate sources of context in OAIS model and OV workflow; Build framework to articulate sources of context in OAIS model and OV workflow; Create media-enhanced finding aids that capture context. Create media-enhanced finding aids that capture context.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Digital Archiving & OAIS Model OAIS indicates the importance of contextual information but does not describe how to specify it; OAIS indicates the importance of contextual information but does not describe how to specify it; We seek to develop a further articulation of how context can best be preserved within the OAIS framework. We seek to develop a further articulation of how context can best be preserved within the OAIS framework.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Finding Aids & Context Traditional tools of archivists but have not often been exploited in digital library settings; Traditional tools of archivists but have not often been exploited in digital library settings; FAs provide context for access and understandability over time; FAs provide context for access and understandability over time; FAs involve substantial intellectual work and professional judgment on the part of archivists. FAs involve substantial intellectual work and professional judgment on the part of archivists.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, NASA Collection Finding Aid

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Finding Aids FAs can contain several levels of hierarchy: FAs can contain several levels of hierarchy: the entire collection; the entire collection; series and subseries; and series and subseries; and listing of individual materials. listing of individual materials. Encoded Archival Description FAs can take advantage of multiple media, hyperlinks, and interactive behaviors. Encoded Archival Description FAs can take advantage of multiple media, hyperlinks, and interactive behaviors.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, VidArch View of Finding Aids Traditionally, context in finding aids relates to the entities involved in the creation of the records Traditionally, context in finding aids relates to the entities involved in the creation of the records individuals, individuals, organizations and functions, and organizations and functions, and the nature of the records themselves. the nature of the records themselves. VidArch is identifying a typology of elements (Object, Agent, Event, Time, Place, Related Concepts), to be documented within video collections. VidArch is identifying a typology of elements (Object, Agent, Event, Time, Place, Related Concepts), to be documented within video collections.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, VidArch View of Finding Aids FAs should be considered not just access devices but also digital objects; FAs should be considered not just access devices but also digital objects; FAs should be ingested into the OAIS and preserved along with the target videos; FAs should be ingested into the OAIS and preserved along with the target videos;

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Life Cycle of Digital Videos from NASA in Open Video

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Workflow and Sources of Context The solid arrows in the figure show current information flows; The solid arrows in the figure show current information flows; Dashed arrows indicate potential for capturing further contextual information; Dashed arrows indicate potential for capturing further contextual information; 1 st Stage: Functional provenance within NASA; 1 st Stage: Functional provenance within NASA; 2nd Stage: Video production activities NASA; 2nd Stage: Video production activities NASA; 3 rd Stage: Distribution of the video. 3 rd Stage: Distribution of the video.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, NASA Video Context Analysis Sheet Target Video Object Target Video Object Name Name Program Program Episode Episode URL URL Entity within Video to be Contextualized Entity within Video to be Contextualized Name Name Category (Object, Agent, Event, Time, Place, Related Concepts) Category (Object, Agent, Event, Time, Place, Related Concepts) Relation (What role the entity is playing) Relation (What role the entity is playing)

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, NASA Video Context Analysis Sheet Name Name URL of Item Providing Context URL of Item Providing Context Relation Relation Resource Resource Type Type Location Type of File/Object Time to Find Size of File Openly Accessible Annotations/Comments Item Providing Context Item Providing Context

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, NASA Video Context Analysis Sheet

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Curator’s OAIS Responsibilities Curators of digital video collections must decide what subset of the total potential documentation (existing or created by the curator) related to the digital videos should be Curators of digital video collections must decide what subset of the total potential documentation (existing or created by the curator) related to the digital videos should be reflected in the descriptive and access tools of the archive and reflected in the descriptive and access tools of the archive and submitted to the archive as SIPs in order to be ingested for long-term preservation. submitted to the archive as SIPs in order to be ingested for long-term preservation.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Ongoing & Emerging Collaborations SILS, ibiblio, & Open Video SILS, ibiblio, & Open Video The Internet Archive & Prelinger Archive The Internet Archive & Prelinger Archive San Diego Supercomputer Center San Diego Supercomputer Center Renaissance Computing Center and UNC Institutional Repository efforts. Renaissance Computing Center and UNC Institutional Repository efforts.

JCDL 2006 Chapel Hill, NC June 13, Thank You! Slides from this presentation will be found at: