Digital preservation activities at the NLW Sally McInnes 18 September 2009

Structure  What is digital preservation?  What are our digital holdings?  Why do they need a digital preservation strategy?  What are we doing about it in the NLW?  Tools  Projects  Training and guidance

What is digital preservation?  Ensuring continuing access to digital resources  Management of resources from their creation onwards  Authentic and reliable  Sustainable

Digital Holdings

Why do we need a digital preservation strategy?  Loss of access due to changes in hardware, software and technology  Need a specific environment  Life expectancy of storage media  Policies and procedures

What does continuing access require?  Continuous commitment to preserve to avoid a black hole  Reliable technical and resource infrastructure  Workflows and embedding

What is the NLW doing about it?  Digital Assets Team  Implementation of the policy and strategy  Technical infrastructure  Communication and collaboration

Digital Assets Management Team  Digital Preservation Co-ordinator  Ingest Manager  Digital Standards Manager

Policy and Strategy  13 strategic objectives –Lifecycle management –Metadata and standards –Embedding in work practices –Research and tool development –Communication and collaboration –Trusted Digital Repository

Relationship with traditional conservation  Sustainability  Skills  Training  Tools  Planning  Integrated approach

Standards Why Standards?  Standards are rules and guidelines  XML is the de-facto standard  Interoperability and object exchange  Many digital objects are complex and are comprised of multiple files  Complex digital objects require many more forms of metadata i.e. METS, Dublin Core, MODS, PREMIS

OAIS (Open Archival Information System)

Rights  Purpose of Rights What we can and can’t do, e.g.:- –If we can create copies of the material –Who is allowed to view the material –Restrictions on sharing  How we deal with Rights –Dealt with before collecting material –Rights document created –Once signed Rights are in place over collected material –Statutory Rights

Tools CDAS – CD Accessioning System

RODA – Repository of Authentic Digital Objects Online upload tool Being evaluated by NLW For use initially by Authors as part of Welsh Literature Archive Project

Current NLW Projects Welsh Journals Online (  Several of datastreams to manage –TEI –650px –50% –Zoomify –Archive

Wills  Wills – Between: 1543 – 1858  182, 404 Wills  816, 325 Images  3 months to create derivatives  1 month ingest  2.5 Terabytes of derivatives

Collaborative Projects  Repository Bridge / EThos –Repository software & tools –Migrate & store –Transfer of electronic thesis to NLW  Ballads –JISC funded –Universities of Cardiff, Bangor & Lampeter –Digitised content hosted by NLW

Training and Support  Training for staff within NLW  Providing guidance and support for external bodies e.g. ARCW  Developing guidance for depositors  Developing web pages in order to share our knowledge with others