MANAGING DIGITAL CONTENT OVER TIME MODULE 5: MANAGECreated for the Digital Education Outreach Program by:Damien Cassidy, State Library of NSWEmma Jolley, National Library of AustraliaRachel Merrick, State Library of QueenslandJill Waters, LINC Tasmania

Managing Digital Content Over Time by NORTHERN TERRITORY LIBRARY and National & State Libraries Australasia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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— IDENTIFY

— What digital content do you have?

— SELECT

— What portion of that

content will be

preserved?

— STORE

— What issues are there for

long-term storage?

— PROTECT— What steps

are needed to protect

your digital content?

— MANAGE— What provisions

are needed for long-

term manageme

nt?

— PROVIDE— What considerations are there for long-term

access?

The digital preservation lifecycle

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At the end of this module you will have an understanding of:

• what good management is and why it is important

• what a Trusted Digital Repository does

• how to achieve a TDR through good management

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What is good management?

Commitment to a holistic and sustainable preservation plan.

—Preservation plan

— Preservation policy

— Functional policies

— Community

standards

— Preservation strategy

— Procedures

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Why is digital preservation management important?

• To maintain the safety of digital objects over time.

Digital objects are not preserved, they must continually be preserved.

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Digital preservation standards

• We aren’t re-inventing the wheel.• Community of practice that is decades old.• International standards to guide.

Confiance (1827), Royal Museums Greenwich CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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Exercise

A man performing exercises in a frame with weights and pulleys lithograph by E. Parry & Co., Wellcome Library, CC BY 4.0

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Trusted Digital Repository

Has a mission to provide reliable, long-term access to managed digital resources to its designated community, now and into the future.

Server room by Torkild Retvedt CC BY-SA 2.0

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TDR: Community standards

Organisational commitment to developing a repository that complies with the OAIS.

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TDR: Commitment

The organisation commits to the development of a TDR that complies with prevailing standards, policies and practices.

Wedding of Nancy and Clarrie Wieting, Brisbane, ca. 1925, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland

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TDR: Management

The organisation can demonstrate that its legal mission, legal status and operations can support a TDR.

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TDR: Resources

Organisation establishes and can sustain a sound financial base for the TDR.

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TDR: Infrastructure

Organisation develops executes and reviews plans that meet infrastructure and preservation requirements.

A row of computers in a server rack CSIRO CC BY 3.0

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TDR: Protection and control

Organisation ensures the reliable operation of the TDR by adopting appropriate security measures.

Believed to be NSW Volunteers Easter Encampment at Windsor, April 1884 – soldiers and horseState Records NSW

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TDR: Documentation

Organisation establishes a systematic approach and supporting protocols and techniques to provide comprehensive documentation of all activities.

Image: Smithsonian Institution

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Balanced management

An effective approach will address:• organisation• technology• resources

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ORGANISATION

A Digital Library by Eric Hackathorn CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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Organisation: people

Diverse knowledge and skills from across the organisation.

Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an organisation to manage a digital preservation program.

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The Dream Team

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Organisation: Policies

• legitimise• guide• specify the organisation’s commitment.

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TECHNOLOGY

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Technology: Assessment

Choose the technology that is right for your organisation’s needs.

• Prioritise• Assess• Plan• Select

threesixtyfive | day 244, Sybren Stüvel CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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Technology: Evaluation

Monitor and evaluate how technology meets changing needs.

Day 122 - West Midlands Police - Forensic Scene Investigator FSIWest Midlands Police CC BY-SA 2.0

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Technology: Management

Management of technology is a continuous process.

— Prioritise

— Assess

— Plan

— Select— Fund

— Monitor

— Evaluate

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RESOURCES

Treasure Chest by Tom Garnett CC BY 2.0

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Resources: Funding

• Priority to preserve• Understanding of costs• Explicitly written in budget

Boy in a garden with a dog and koala State Library of Queensland

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Resources: Staffing

• Explicit digital preservation roles and duties• Upskilling staff to onboard

Staff with trained goats in R. Carson's waggon yard in Bowen, 1906 State Library of Queensland

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— IDENTIFY

— SELECT

— STORE

— PROTECT

— MANAGE

— PROVIDE

What we’ve covered today:

• What is good management?

• Why is digital preservation management important?

• Elements of a trusted digital repository

• Three legs of balanced management

THANK YOUContact details