The Digitization Special Interest Group, convened by Cynthia Tobar and Mike Handis (both at the Mina Rees Library, CUNY Graduate Center), met today to discuss digital preservation issues for libraries and archives. The meeting featured a panel presentation with John Mignault (New York Botanical Garden), Andrea Buchner (Gruss Lipper Digital Laboratory at the Center for Jewish History), and Jennifer Vinopal (New York University). It was a great discussion spanning workflows, technology solutions, and policy. Here are some of the resources the panelists recommended and handed out to participants:
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM JENNIFER VINOPAL
Title: Digital Curation for Preservation
Authors: Tyler Walters & Katherine Skinner, for ARL
http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/nrnt_digital_curation17mar11.pdf
Abstract: Digital curation refers to the actions people take to maintain and add value to digital information over its lifecycle, including the processes used when creating digital content. Digital preservation focuses on the “series of managed activities necessary to ensure continued access to digital materials for as long as necessary.” In this report, we highlight the intersection of these actions, specifically focusing on how digital curation must facilitate the preservation of our shared digital memory
Title: Digital Preservation of Moving Image Material?
Author: Howard Besser
Abstract: An overview of the changes in production and distribution technology of moving image and its impact on the AV archiving process. Special attention is given to two paradigm shifts: from managing complete productions to asset management and from preservation of the physical object as an artifact to the preservation of individual content items. Although published in 2001, this article is still relevant today.
http://www.prestocentre.eu/library/resources/digital-preservation-moving-image-material
Note: old, but still considered relevant by the author
Title: SDS Final Report
Title Gloss: Supporting Digital Scholarship, a Mellon-funded project to explore library adoption of "born digital" content created during faculty-driven research
Summary: the report contains six sections and four appendices. The next section examines the problem that the project set for itself. Section 3 discusses the significant properties method. Section 4 looks at levels of collection. Section 5 discusses our work in collecting born-digital projects. Section 6 contains the results of an extensive investigation of policy issues.
http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/sds/SDS_AR_2003.pdf
Note: old, but still considered relevant by the authors
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM JOHN MIGNAULT
The Digital Curation Google Group at http://groups.google.com/group/digital-curation?hl=en&pli=1. Pretty active list and a good way to stay on top of what's going on in the field. Skews slightly geekwise.
The Biodiversity Heritage Library at http://biodiversitylibrary.org - BHL (of which my library is a founding member) is both an access and preservation project and is interesting from the standpoint of 12 variously sized libraries coordinating a preservation project for all their pre 1923 biodiversity literature.
Archivematica at http://archivematica.org - Archivematica is a new open source archiving and preservation system which already handles an impressive number of file formats. Interestingly it is distributed as a "virtual appliance" - a virtual machine that has the software already and installed and configured.
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM ANDREA BUCHNER
RLG/OCLC Working Group on Digital Archive Attributes (2002). Trusted Digital Repositories: Attributes and Responsibilities. Retrieved March 22, 2011 http://www.oclc.org/research/activities/past/rlg/trustedrep/repositories.pdf
Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (2002). The OAIS Reference Model. Retrieved March 22, 2011 http://public.ccsds.org/publications/archive/650x0b1.pdf
NISO Framework Advisory Group (2007). A Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections. Retrieved March 22, 2011http://www.niso.org/publications/rp/framework3.pdf
The Center for Research Libraries (2007). Trustworthy Repositories Audit & Certification (TRAC): Criteria and Checklist. Retrieved March 22, 2011 http://www.crl.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/pages/trac_0.pdf
Blue Ribbon Task Force on Sustainable Digital Preservation and Access (2010). Sustainable Economics for a Digital Planet: Ensuring Long-Term Access to Digital Information. Retrieved March 22, 2011 http://brtf.sdsc.edu/biblio/BRTF_Final_Report.pdf
Library of Congress (2011). Sustainability of Digital Formats: Planning for Library of Congress Digital Collections. Retrieved March 22, 2011 http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/formats/
Digital Preservation Policies
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR( (2007). ICPSR Digital Preservation Policy Framework. Retrieved March 22, 2011 http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/curation/preservation/policies/dpp-framework.jsp
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR( (2007). Digital Preservation Policy Framework: Outline. Retrieved March 22, 2011 http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/files/ICPSR/curation/preservation/policies/dp-policy-outline.pdf
Library and Archives of Canada. Digital Preservation Policy (2006). Retrieved March 22, 2011 http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/collection/003-200-e.html
National Library of Australia (2009). Digital Preservation Policy. Retrieved March 22, 2011 http://www.nla.gov.au/policy/digpres.html
Digital Imaging Standards
Puglia, Steven, Jeffrey Reed, and Erin Rhodes (2004). Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Archival Materials for Electronic Access: Creation of Production Master Files – Raster Images. (2004). Retrieved March 22, 2011 http://www.archives.gov/preservation/technical/guidelines.pdf
Recommended Workshop
Nancy McGovern. Digital Preservation Management: Implementing Short-term Strategies for Long-term Problems. Digital Preservation Workshop Sponsored by the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)