Toward Certification of Digital Repositories

1
Toward Certification of Digital Repositories

• Robin Dale
• ERPANET Workshop on Trusted Repositories for
  Preserving Cultural Heritage

2
The Call for Certification

• A critical component of the digital archiving
  infrastructure is the existence of a sufficient
  number of trusted organizations capable of
  storing, migrating, and providing access to
  digital collections
• A process for certification of digital archives
  is needed to create an overall climate of trust
  about the prospects of preserving digital
  information.
• Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information,
• Preserving Digital Information, 1996.

3
More Specifically

• If valued information is to be preserved for
  future generations, repositories claiming to
  serve an archival function must be able to prove
  that they are who they say they are and that they
  can deliver on their preservation promise. One
  of the ways for digital archives to provide such
  proof is to submit to an independently-administere
  d program for archival certification.
• Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information,
• Preserving Digital Information, 1996.

4
OAIS

• Open Archival Information System Reference Model
  (ISO 147212002)
• Functional Model
• Information Model
• Identified potential OAIS-related standards to be
  developed, including standards for accreditation
  of archives

5
Trusted Digital Repositories Attributes and
Responsibilities (2002)

• Defined trusted digital repository
• Listed attributes of a trusted digital repository
• Compliance with OAIS
• Administrative responsibility
• Organizational viability
• Financial sustainability
• Technological and procedural suitability
• System security
• Procedural accountability
• Recommendation Develop a process for the
  certification of digital repositories.

6
Task Force on Digital Repository Certification

• Sponsored by RLG and National Archives and
  Records Administration (NARA)
• International Group
• Broad representation of institution types and
  domains
• Charge Create a standard certification process
  or a framework that can be implemented across
  domains or types of digital repositories
• 1-year timeframe

7
Task Force Members (By Name)

• Bibliothèque nationale de France
• Cornell University
• Digital Preservation Coalition, UK
• Global Electronic Records Association
• Harvard University
• Internet Archive
• Koninklijke Bibliotheek
• Library of Congress
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  (NASA US)

• National Archives and Records Administration
  (NARA US)
• OCLC
• RLG
• Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Council for the
  Central Laboratory of the Research Councils, UK
• Stanford University
• University of London Computing Centre

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Members are

• National Libraries
• National Archives
• Universities
• Government space data agencies
• University/Consortial data center
• Collaborative organizations
• Third party service provider
• Internet Archive

9
Tasks

• Identify a list of certifiable elements
  (attributes, processes, functions, activities) of
  a digital repository or types of repositories
• Create a standard certification process or a
  framework that can be implemented across domains
  or types of digital repositories.
• Develop a certification plan
• Define the conditions for revocation of
  certification and suggest appropriate action
  plans for endangered digital information

10
Certification Framework

• Levels of certification?
• Self certification?
• Bit preservation?
• Information preservation?
• Certifiable elements?
• Certifying body/organization?
• Duration of certification?
• Consequences of revocation?

11
Draft framework

• Levels of certification
• Self Assessment
• Peer Compliance Review
• Certification
• Degree of complexity
• Costs

12
Emerging framework

• Toolkit
• Self certification
• Independently administered certification
• Certification
• Baseline requirements
• Additional levels or modules likely

13
Certifiable Elements (1 of 2)

• Minimum Attributes (Metrics)
• Trusted Digital Repositories
• Compliance with OAIS
• Administrative responsibility
• Organizational viability
• Financial sustainability
• Transparency, etc.
• Technological and procedural suitability
• Existing computer center practices of
  requirements
• System security
• Back-up, recovery, etc.
• Procedural accountability
• Policies, practices documented, etc.

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Certifiable Elements (2 of 2 )

• Minimum attributes (continued)
• Minimum preservation level
• Storing objects with metadata
• Retrieval
• Rendering?
• Curatorial aspects
• Audit aspects
• Customer perspective
• Levels of service
• Other

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So Where is Certification Now?

• Framework under development
• Certifiable elements (metrics) being documented
• Links to existing documentation being gathered
  and checked
• Modules to be developed,most likely
• Preliminary report in 4-6 months
• Public comment welcomed and necessary
• Framework released after modifications
• Certification plan to follow
• More information www.rlg.org/longterm/certificati
  on.html