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Persistent Digital Archives and Library System (PeDALS)
A Guide for Wisconsin State Agencies
Wisconsin Historical Society 2
What is PeDALS? A grant funded multi-state project financed
by the Library of Congress and the Institute for Museum and Library Services
Includes five state partners: Arizona, Florida, New York, South Carolina and Wisconsin, with Arizona as the lead partner
Project will run 18-months, until the middle of 2009; if successful, WHS intends to continue participation beyond this period
At the end of the project each partner will have a functioning digital records system
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Why is PeDALS Needed? An increasing number of state government records of
long-term value are created in digital-only format Due to the large and increasing volume of digital
records in varied formats, traditional appraisal and acquisition practices are no longer effective—an automated, rules-based system like PeDALS is one possible response to this new reality
PeDALS is not an electronic records management system, but rather a way to acquire electronic records already scheduled for transfer
To this point, Wisconsin has not had the staffing and technical expertise to address electronic records in a meaningful way
PeDALS is both a learning opportunity and a chance to implement a functioning system
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Goals of the Project Develop a methodology to support an
automated, integrated workflow to process collections of digital records
Implement an inexpensive storage system that can preserve the integrity and authenticity of digital materials over time
Remove barriers to adoption by keeping costs of the system as low as possible
Work with Wisconsin Document Depository Program to develop ways to integrate digital format state agency publications into PeDALS processes; since 2005 the Depository has worked to preserve e-publications acquired from state websites
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PeDALS Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Network Architecture
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PeDALS Network Architecture
Agency records in an electronic records system are transferred via the Internet to the PeDALS system
Supplemental processing checks for file integrity and completeness prior to transfer
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PeDALS Network Architecture
Agency records with associated metadata are transferred to middleware server
Rules-based software will transform records into format for long-term storage along with a copy for web access
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PeDALS Network Architecture
Records are transferred into LOCKSS servers for long-term preservation
LOCKSS is a sophisticated data storage system that scans for and repairs file corruption and other data integrity problems
Hardened firewalls and geographic distribution provides added security
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PeDALS Network Architecture
Web server will provide Internet access to records through a web-based search interface
Access to records restricted by statute or otherwise will be blocked during restriction period
Records scheduled for transfer, but not access, are held in the digital archive, but no user copy is sent to the web server until public access is allowed
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The Metadata Issue Metadata is data about data, e.g. catalog
entry in a library catalog Metadata associated with the records at
both the series and item level are crucial to the success of the project
Adequate metadata will ensure that we have the administrative, access, and preservation information needed to successfully preserve and provide access to records over time
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The Metadata Issue Ideally, agency systems containing
electronic records should be able to output records to PeDALS along with XML-based metadata about the record series and individual records
Some metadata, especially administrative and preservation metadata, may need to be added to records at the time of ingest into the system
Not all existing series and item-level metadata will be retained for long-term preservation
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The Metadata Issue
Agency metadata will be mapped to the PeDALS metadata schema by the middleware server
The exact details of this process will be worked out as the project progresses
An initial dictionary of core metadata elements has been completed.
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Records and Publications Eligible for PeDALS Electronic records that have been designated for
transfer to the Historical Society through the RDA process
Copies of electronic records scheduled for permanent retention by agencies may also be eligible if necessary to ensure record integrity and long-term preservation
The Historical Society will work with agencies to identify appropriate records for this project
For the project period, the Historical Society hopes to identify at least three or four state records series for transfer into PeDALS
Publications that have been preserved in digital format may also be transferred into PeDALS if the proposed interface to create and attach metadata to publications is developed as a part of the project
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State Agency Participation There is no direct financial cost to
agencies to participate in this project In agencies that participate in the
project, records officer and IT personnel assistance may be needed to: Help identify appropriate records series Assist with records transfer into system Help discover and transfer metadata into
system Provide additional technical and other
assistance as needed
Questions?
Dennis Bitterlich,Electronic Records Archivist, Wisconsin Historical Society
