Carcanet Case Study Fran Baker, John Rylands University Library University of Manchester SPRUCE event 19 January 2012
The John Rylands University Library: Special Collections
JRUL & Digital Preservation Paradigm and Cairo Projects (junior partner) Digital Preservation Steering Group Digital Preservation Strategy Implementation Plan Theory into practice: JISC funding for Carcanet Case Study
Images © Carcanet Press, reproduced by kind permission of Carcanet Press
Carcanet Press Archive Book files: authors’ manuscripts, annotated proofs, jacket designs, contracts, author questionnaires. Correspondence files: authors, translators, editors, publishers, designers, friends etc etc.
Aims of project To acquire and preserve the Carcanet Press Archive, for a year in the first instance. To use this archive as a testbed to establish good practice for acquiring and preserving similar born-digital archive material in the future. To produce guidelines and training materials in order that knowledge and expertise are retained. To share experiences and disseminate findings.
WP 1: Establish digital preservation ‘lab’ Standalone quarantine PC for initial processing Networked workbench PC equipped with relevant software Secure network drive
WP 2: Survey and transfer of digital archive material Records survey: 2 directories (Microsoft Outlook 2007) Documentation: deposit agreement; transfer list Encrypted portable hard drive Fixity checks Pre-acquisition appraisal
WP 3: Quarantine processing ‘Health check’: fixity and virus checking Secure deletion of selected folders (certificate of disposal) Audit trail
WP 4: Validation, metadata creation & extraction Working copy in dummy Outlook account (experiment with PeDALS extractor) Accession record Descriptive metadata Curatorial ‘significant properties’ Technical metadata Attachments: extraction and validation Processing plans
WP 5: Packaging and ingest Packaging tools Submission Information Package → Archival Information Package Fedora repository software: programme of fixity checks and techwatch
WP 6: Preservation planning Significant properties Long-term preservation formats for (likely to be XML) Migration tools (PeDALS, CERP parser) PLATO?
WP 7: Training and dissemination In-house training manual and guidelines for curatorial and technical staff Training sessions Dissemination/sharing outcomes and experiences via relevant publications, listserves etc