Gateways

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Gateways
Heather Brown Project Officer, State Library of
S.A, for Business Information Program, University
of S.A. and Assistant Director, Paper, Artlab
Australia
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Gateways for digital preservation
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The challenges
'Information stored in digital form is as
delicate as archaeological remains of flora and
fauna... Preservation of digital information
requires active intervention left unsecured it
is susceptible to loss through the physical
breakdown of the media, rendered inaccessible by
technological advances, or left meaningless
through lack of or insufficient contextual
evidence.' Seamus Ross 2000
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Construction phase
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Construction phase
plans

• We have to start now
• Start planning
• Use Cornell Universitys
• Online digital preservation tutorial
  www.library.cornell.edu.iris/tutorial/
• Survey of Institutional readiness

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Construction phase

• Gateways being constructed by variety of
  stakeholders
• Likely to be built and sustained by stakeholders
  with interest in or responsibility for preserving
  knowledge for future
• Gateways need to be active and open early in
  digital life cycle

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What to preserve

• We cannot preserve everything
• Link with collection management policies
• Challenges - sheer volume, varying quality, new
  emerging genres, need to act quickly
• How much to select in web archiving
• PANDORA selective
• Internet archive - whole domain
• UNESCO Guidelines
• Decision Tree DPC Handbook

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What to preserve

• Example decades old remote sensing data

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Strengthening gateways - technological

• Cornell Digital Preservation model - 3
  interrelated parts
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technological
organisational
resourcing
refreshing
migrating
emulating
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Strengthening gateways - technologically
Hybrid solutions - microfilm

• A low risk option for text-based content
• Hybrid option mf for long term preservation
  digital copy for flexible access

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Strengthening gateways - technologically
Standards, guidelines trusted frameworks

• The foundations ensure quality and
  trustworthiness
• Good progress with particular formats e.g. TIFF
• ISO standards for preservation of digital
  materials
• UNESCO Guidelines http//www.unesdoc.unesco.org/im
  ages/0013/001300/13007le.pdf

OAIS model

• Provides common framework for describing
  comparing digital archives

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Strengthening gateways - technologically
Preservation metadata

• Underpins OAIS framework
• Records info. needed to manage preservation
• .PREMIS model

Unique identifiers encapsulation

• Help provide access to trusted digital objects
• Also digital watermarking, digital time stamping
  etc.

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Strengthening gateways - technologically
TRAC Checklist

• Guide for determining trustworthiness
  www.crl.edu/PDF/trac.pdf
• Uses risk management framework
• Draws on OAIS model

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Flexibility

• New gateways need to be flexible to adapt to
  future changes

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Strengthening gateways - resourcing

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• Finding ongoing funding R is challenging
• Overall volume of data will continue
• to grow - the digital black hole
• Start up costs easier
• Ongoing costs mean reallocation
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resourcing
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Strengthening gateways - organisational

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• Reflected through the policies, procedures
  plans
• Getting buy in right from the top.
• Without this high level commitment,
• gateways will collapse
• e.g. elevator pitch
• approaches of Cornell and DSpace.
• e.g. of high level policy
• NLA Digital Preservation Policy  

commitment
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Strengthening gateways - organisational

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• Way of sharing expertise
• Formal agreements collaborations - sharing
  costs e.g.
• RLG The Internet Archive
• PADI UNESCO
• International Internet Preservation Consortium  
• Collaborations cost need commitment

collaboration
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Strengthening gateways - organisational

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• Organisational infrastructure involves
• W e need whole new skill sets
• Not only technological knowledge - also generic
  skills that relate to organisation resourcing
• Challenge
• for universities educators of librarians to
  provide relevant foundation of knowledge skills
• for all to develop our knowledge skills as
  part of life-long learning.

Skills, education training
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Strengthening gateways - organisational

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Skills, education training

• Formal training e.g. - Business Information
• Management (BIM) Course - University of S.A.
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• India - DELNET, ICDL Conference on Digital
  libraries,
• ISIs International Workshop on digital
  preservation of heritage etc.
• Online courses e.g. Cornell Tutorial
• PADI

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Conclusion

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• Combination of features
• Still under construction ? No readymade kit
•  Include the whole range of features
• For maximum leverage collaborate with parallel
  gateways
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• Integration determines whether
• gateways will remain viable

organisational
resourcing
technological
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Conclusion

• Right combination is a dynamic
• Good library management  
• Assess the preservation readiness of your
  organisations digital resources
• You can no longer afford to delay
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