Metadata for preservation: the Cedars perspective Michael Day UKOLN: UK Office for Library and Information Networking University of Bath

Metadata for preservation: the Cedars perspective

Michael Day

UKOLN: UK Office for Library and

Information Networking

University of Bath

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/

[email protected]

Third Metadata Workshop, Luxembourg, 12 April 1999


Presentation Outline

• Digital preservation issues• The Cedars project• Preservation metadata initiatives• OAIS - an ISO reference model for an

Open Archival Information System


Digital preservation (1)

Preservation:– All strategic considerations relating to the

survival of library and archive materials and the information contained in them

However:– A growing reliance upon digital information

resources - both surrogates and information 'born digital'

– No formal mechanisms ensure that digital resources are preserved for long-term use

– No universal legal-deposit for digital (networked) publications


Digital preservation (2)

A definition: "... the planning, resource allocation, and

application of preservation methods and technologies necessary to ensure that digital information of continuing value remains accessible and usable."

Margaret Hedstrom (University of Michigan)

From:“Digital preservation: a time bomb for digital libraries”. Computers and the Humanities, 31, 1998, pp. 189-202.


CPA/RLG Task Force

Task Force on the Archiving of Digital Information

• Report published May 1996• Commissioned by the Commission on

Preservation and Access (CPA) and the Research Libraries Group (RLG)

• Report was a sign that the digital preservation problem was being taken seriously at the highest levels


UK responses

JISC/BL/NPO– Warwick strategy workshops (1995, 1999)– Digital Archiving Working Group

Arts and Humanities Data Service– Strategic Policy Framework (July 1998)

Public Record Office– Electronic Records in Office Systems (EROS)– National Digital Archive of Datasets (NDAD)

Consortium of University Research Libraries– Cedars project (JISC eLib)


Cedars - CURL exemplars in digital archives


The Cedars project

• The Consortium of University Research Libraries (CURL) interested in the roles and responsibilities of research libraries

• JISC eLib Phase 3 - “Hybrid Libraries, Large Scale Resource Discovery and Digital Preservation”

• Cedars project funded by JISC through the CURL Libraries from April 1998 for 3 years


Cedars project partners

• Project led by universities of Cambridge, Leeds and Oxford

• Collaboration with:– Arts and Humanities Data Service– Research Libraries Group– British Library– National Preservation Office– UKOLN– Publishers– etc.


Cedars project objectives

To promote awareness

To identify and disseminate • appropriate strategies for collection

management• appropriate strategies for long-term

preservation

Based on a realistic sampling of current digital resource collections


Cedars metadata report

AIW01: “Metadata for preservation”• Identified and described relevant projects

and associated issues (August 1998)• Foundation for metadata implementation

within the Cedars project

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/cedars/ AIW01.html


Four metadata roles

1. Technical metadata– Recording technical details about the original

hardware and software environment to support preservation strategies (emulation, migration, post hoc rescue, etc.)

2. Rights management metadata– Recording intellectual property rights ownership,

deposit agreements, access agreements, etc.

3. Intellectual preservation metadata– Preserving the integrity and authenticity of digital

resources (context and cryptography)

4. Resource discovery metadata


Metadata initiatives

Digital Rosetta Stone (DRS) model

Pittsburgh University– Functional Requirements for Evidence in

Recordkeeping

University of British Columbia– The Preservation of the Integrity of Electronic

Records

National Library of Australia– PANDORA project– Digital Services Project


RLG Working Group

RLG Working Group on the Preservation Issues of Metadata

• Report published May 1998• Limited to a consideration of data

elements that describe digital image files

• Sixteen metadata elements• Three experimental implementations:

extended Dublin Core, USMARC and XML


The OAIS model (1)

Open Archival Information System (OAIS)• ISO initiative• Co-ordinated by the Consultative

Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS)

• An OAIS is defined as an: “... Archive that has accepted the

responsibility to preserve information and make it available for one or more Designated Communities”


The OAIS model (2)

The reference model:• “establishes a common framework of

terms and concepts which comprise an Open Archival Information System” - from the Foreword

• Facilitates the description and comparison of archives

• A basis for further standardisation• A basis for conformance


OAIS functional model

Administration

Ingest

ArchivalStorage

Access

DataManagement

Descriptive info.

AIP

PRODUCER

CONSUMER

AIP

SIP

DIP

MANAGEMENT

requests

other info.

Descriptive info.


Information Packages (1)

The OAIS reference model defines a generic Information Package

Further subdivided into:• Submission Information Package (SIP)

-used by the producer• Archival Information Package (AIP) -

used internally• Dissemination Information Package

(DIP) - used by the consumer



An Archival Information Package (AIP) comprises two separate objects:

• Content Information– The information that is the primary object of

preservation. Containing a Digital Object and any Representation Information (technical metadata) needed to transform this object into meaningful information

• Preservation Description Information– other metadata “which will allow the

understanding of the Content Information over an indefinite period of time”



PackageDescriptor

ArchivalInformation

Package

PackagingInformation

ContentInformation

PreservationDescriptionInformation

Derived from Delimited by

identifies

Further described by


Preservation DescriptionInformation (PDI)

PreservationDescriptionInformation

Reference Information

ProvenanceInformation

ContextInformation

FixityInformation


Packaging Information

ContentInformation

DescriptiveInformation

about Package 1

Preservation DescriptionInformation (PDI)

Packaging Information

Package 1


Conclusions

• Digital Preservation is increasingly becoming an important issue for libraries, archives and other organisations

• The creation and maintenance of relevant metadata can contribute to the solving of some digital preservation problems

• The OAIS reference model provides a common framework of terms and concepts


Relevant Web pages

UKOLN Metadata Web pages:http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/

Cedars Web pages:http://www.leeds.ac.uk/cedars/

OAIS reference model:http://ssdoo.gsfc.nasa.gov/nost/isoas/ ref_model.html


UKOLN

UKOLN is funded by the Library and Information Commission (formerly the British Library Research and Innovation Centre), the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) of the UK Higher Education Funding Councils, as well as by project funding from the JISC’s Electronic Libraries (eLib) Programme and the European Union. UKOLN also receives support from the University of Bath, where it is based.

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/

Documents

Metadata for preservation: the Cedars perspective Michael Day UKOLN: UK Office for Library and Information Networking University of Bath