1. © 2004 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice Preservation Strategies for Institutional Repositories Robert Tansley Digital Media Systems Lab, HP Labs

2. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop2 Overview The preservation problem Life cycle of digital objects Strategies Q & A

3. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop3 Preservation problem Much of humanity’s intellectual output is now ‘born digital’ Much at risk of being lost forever Or being left beyond viable use

4. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop4 Factors SocialLack of awareness/inclination Increasingly itinerant workforce EconomicalCost LegalCopyright etc TechnologicalSilent failure Fast evolution Proprietary formats / vendor lock-in

5. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop5 Life cycle of digital objects Getting the bits Keeping the bits Maintaining access to the bits Understanding the bits (Destroying the bits)

6. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop6 Getting the bits Obtaining the data in the first place − Self-deposit versus assisted − cataloguers − workflow − quality control “Liberating” data from applications Getting enough metadata

7. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop7 Keeping the bits Backup strategies (careful!) Migrating the bits from storage medium A to B − before A fails silently or becomes obsolete Mirroring strategies − Trust issues, contracts − Interoperability Integrity, authenticity, security

8. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop8 Maintaining access to the bits Metadata − Search/retrieval Identification − Globally unique − Persistent − Resolvable − Know what you’re naming! Quality of service/server uptime

9. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop9 Understanding the bits Comprehension by people − Description − Context − How to use Comprehension by machines − Format description − Environment description − Structural information (complex objects) − Migration − Emulation

10. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop10 Migration Translating bits into a form that may be understood by contemporary machines − Need detailed understanding of the format − And/or need migration tools May lose information Easier to break down and repurpose components May be better for non-interactive content

11. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop11 Emulation Maintaining tools that recreate a facsimile of the environment in which the original content was created, rendered or used Can mimic experience of the original object Emulation tools may be expensive − Lots of similar objects Potentially difficult to reuse/repurpose content

12. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop12 Which? Ends of a continuum Often require a combination − Home computer / video game emulations − BBC Domesday discs rescue − US 1960 census information migration Depends on what you’re trying to preserve, and why

13. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop13 (Destroying the bits) Really destroy or just hide? May become necessary Legal reasons Cost reasons

14. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop14 How IRs can help with preservation Management system and focal point for each factor… − Social − Economic − Legal − Technological And each phase − Getting − Keeping − Access − Understandability − Destroying

15. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop15 But it’s just a tool!

16. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop16 Strategies: social Main current problems − Getting the bits − Getting the bits in a form that is amenable to preservation − Getting enough good metadata Faculty awareness of problem; education Incentives − Project deliverables − Rewards Workflow Demonstrate value

17. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop17 Strategies: economic Funding models − central library/IT operating funds − grants from research councils/government etc − charging per department storage/service − charging for downloads In-house or outsourcing Long-term preservation requires long-term planning!

18. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop18 Strategies: economic Consider each phase of lifecycle − Getting: Education, incentives, assistance, IR population projects. What will you accept? What will you guarantee? − Keeping: running the IR; servers; redundant equipment; backups; staff − Maintaining access: identification infrastructure and registration (e.g. CNRI Handle) − Keeping understandable: Determining policies, contracts with faculty/departments; factor in costs of obtaining, developing and/or using migration and emulation tools (who pays?) − (Destroying the bits): staff and lawyers!!!

19. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop19 Strategies: legal Carefully consider licensing − Deposit licenses − Distribution licenses (e.g. Creative Commons) IP issues

20. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop20 Strategies: technological Regular checking/auditing Mirroring/replication agreements Metadata − Standards − Balance of getting enough good metadata without putting people off Format and environment registries Migration and emulation tools − Likely to need a combination Open source software − Exit strategy

21. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop21 Summary IRs can help but are just a tool − Education and incentives very important Consider social, economic, technical factors Consider whole life cycle of digital objects − and long-term cost planning

22. 13 October 2004Access 2004 Institutional Repositories workshop22 Summary No one really knows how to do it yet! But we know much more now than we used to… And IRs are a great start