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PRESERVATION NEWS

C&RL News, December 2004
Vol. 65, No. 11

by Jane Hedberg

PREMIS report
PREservation Metadata: Implementation Strategies (PREMIS), a working group jointly sponsored by the OCLC Online Computer Library, Inc. (OCLC) and the Research Libraries Group, Inc. (RLG), has published “Implementing Preservation Repositories For Digital Materials: Current Practice and Emerging Trends in the Cultural Heritage Community.” This report summarizes the results of a survey conducted among international libraries, archives, and other types of cultural institutions during the winter of 2003–04.

Survey questions cover mission, services, models, policies, system architecture, storage, preservation strategies, access policies, funding, and preservation metadata management. Forty-eight institutions completed the survey, describing what they are doing and plan to do with their digital repositories. This report focuses on metadata management, and, although the respondents handle their metadata in various ways, some practices that are becoming more widespread are described in the conclusion of the report.

One trend is to store metadata in both a database, for easy access and reporting, and with the objects, so they are self-defining. Another is to maintain the original object, plus multiple digital versions each with its own metadata, and to choose multiple preservation strategies to insure against loss. A third is to use OAIS as a starting point for repository design, METS for structural metadata, and Z39.87/MIX for technical metadata for still images.

The report is available as a free 668K/66 page PDF at www.oclc.org/research/projects/pmwg/surveyreport.pdf. For more information about PREMIS, consult www.oclc.org/research/projects/pmwg/default.htm. For a brief article describing the work of PREMIS and this report, consult the October 15, 2004, issue of RLG DigiNews at www.rlg.org/en/page.php?Page_ID=20462#article2.

ARL endorses digitization
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has issued a paper, “Recognizing Digitization as a Preservation Reformatting Method.” It was prepared for ARL’s Preservation of Research Library Materials Committee by Kathleen Arthur, Sherry Byrne, Elisabeth Long, and Judith Nadler (of the University of Chicago), and Carla Montori (University of Michigan). The document supports multifaceted and responsive preservation programs that can accommodate a variety of reformatting strategies.

To quote the paper, “The Association of Research Libraries endorses digitization as an accepted preservation reformatting option for a range of materials. ARL encourages its members and others engaged in digital reformatting and those interested in initiating these activities to make an organizational and economic commitment to adhere to accepted standards and best practices, and to establish policies and the capacity to maintain digital products for the long-term.”

The 17-page paper is available as a free PDF at www.arl.org/preserv/digi_preserv.pdf and a free HTML document at www.arl.org/preserv/digit_final.html.

Audio preservation
The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) has published “Survey of the State of Audio Collections in Academic Libraries,” by Abby Smith, David Randall Allen, and Karen Allen. A 100-question survey covering all areas of audio collection stewardship was administered in 2003 to 18 ARL members and 51 college libraries from the Oberlin Group. The results highlight the value of these collections and the serious access, preservation, and copyright issues that complicate their management. Lack of funding, lack of expert staff, complex reformatting technologies, and unclear digital distribution rights are major obstacles to audio use and preservation.

The report is available as a free 59-page PDF at www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub128/pub128.pdf. To purchase printed copies for $20 each, consult www.clir.org/pubs/abstract/pub128abst.html.