Digital Preservation across the technologies, strategies, open standards & interoperability aspects including the legal issues

Pratik Shrivastava

Scientist ‘F’

National Informatics Centre New Delhi

Preservation Issues

Technological Issues Organisational Issues Legal Issue

Technological Issues

Digital Media

Digital Material are vulnerable to loss and destruction because they are stored on fragile magnetic and optical media

It can fail due to heat, humidity and contaminant or faulty reading device

Solution

Store in a stable and controlled environment

Regular refreshment cycle Making Preservation Copies Appropriate Handling Procedure Transferring to ‘standard’ storage media

Change of Technology

Frequent investment to overcome rapid obsolescence

Digital Material is machine dependent it needs appropriate hardware and associated software for access.

Change of Technology - Solution

Should use standard media and file formats

Providing detailed documentation to determine context and management.

Authenticity and Context

Established procedures for retaining qualities of integrity, authenticity and reliability.

Data integrity mechanism MD5 signatures at the time of ingest Audit trails for all action

Overlaps with legal and organisational issues.

Scale

Computer Storage is increasing while its cost is decreasing

Scalable architecture still a challenge in repositories to handle quantity of data generated from the web etc.

Technical, managerial challenges in accessioning, managing and providing access

Stretegies

Three approaches Technology Preservation Strategy

Preserve original software (and possible hardware) used to create digital material

Technology Emulation Strategy Program future powerful computer system to

emulate older obsolete operating system and platform.

Strategies

Information Migration Strategy Digital information is re-encoded in new

format before old format becomes obsolete.

Research for Strategies

Potential drawbacks to the current three strategies should be studied as research topic.

New strategies to be worked out and tested. This should be a continuous process keeping

in view that the technology will continue to evolve

Organisational Issues

Costs

Should be integral part of organisation expenses. Digital Life Cycle should determine the cost.

Organisational Issues

Relates to integration of management of digital material into their organisation structure

Need to go beyond the confines of organisations and even countries to take the benefit of technology, find cost effective solution and address copyright issues

Employing and developing staff of adequate skill in the wake of technological changes. Limited by overall resource available within the organisation.

Approach for a Cost Model

Experience within the institution. Collaboration with others confronting the

same chanllenges Development of shared tools and services Develop suitable cost models as a

research project to drive down costs.

Organisational Structure

Need to redefine responsibilities Need to redefine roles

It may cross boundaries to draw full range of skill and expertise required for digital preservation.

Many activities converge Acquistion and preservation decision should

be made at the same time.

Roles

Who should be responsible for long term digital preservation ? In house Contractual agreement

Selection

Enormous quantities of information produced digitally requires selection

Which version(s) to be preserved. Level of redundancy (multiple copies in

different repositories) May need collaboration between oranisations. Potential cost of duplication

Legal Issues

IPR and Preservation

IPR issues in digital preservation are more complex than for traditional media.

Attention to be given to not only content but to associated software. All three strategies refreshing, emulating and migrating can infringe IPR unless exemptions exists or permissions obtained from right holders.

It may involve manipulation, changing presentation and functionality.

IPR and Electronic Material

Traditional Material have legal and organisational frameworks for preservation.

This is not true for electronic material. Necessary permissions must be obtained

from copyright holder

Legal Deposit

The position of legal deposit of electronic publication is different from print publication.

A national digital library may be set up to promote voluntary deposit unless legal deposit act comes up.

Retention Period

Digital Material may have different retention period requirement.

Public Records Act will apply to government records including electronic record.

Preservation policy (long term/Short Term) influenced by Retention Period

Access and Security

Controlled Access and infringement of copyright.

Technology to control access can prevent preservation actions.

Business Model and Licensing

Dissemination of electronic material also impact IPR and preservation.

Subscriber of e-journal are concerned with archiving and perpetual access to back issues.

Stakeholder , Contracts

Archiving organisation may obtain permissions from the authors, publisher for preservation through Contract, license and grant condition

Investment by Repository

Holders invest resources to generate revised documentation and metadata and new forms of the material. Additional IPR on new investment to be

addressed Withdrawal fees to compensate for these

investment may be built in to deposit agreement

Web Archiving

Web Archive preserves web expressions of individuals, organisations, group, press etc. Whole Domain –

Sweedish Cultural Heritage Cubbed Selective

PANDORA project of Australia Thematic

LoC’ Minerva Project Deposit Mixed