By Ann | September 28, 2005
Interesting report applying the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) model and the Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS) to the UK Data Archive; a very useful convergence of preservation strategies and articulation of what the model means for data and disciplinary focused digital repositories/archives.Email from the Digital Preservation Department at the UK National Archives:
In conjunction with the UK Data Archive, The National Archives have released a report comparing their preservation practices to the leading internationally recognised standard for digital archives. This provides a model for other organisations to test the compliance of their own systems.
Using the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model the two organisations were able to compare their preservation practices within a common framework: an opportunity that was particularly timely because, in January 2005, the UKDA was appointed as a legal place of deposit for National Archive documents.
The OAIS reference model (ISO 14721) is the major international standard addressing the structure and operations of digital archive facilities. The Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS) is a schema for encoding descriptive, administrative, and structural metadata regarding objects within a digital library.
The assessment was carried out by the UKDA, The National Archives and the Estonian Business Archive, with a funding award from the Joint Information Systems Committee - under its Institutional Digital Preservation and Asset Management Programme.
Full story: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/stories/79.htm
The report is available here: http://www.data-archive.ac.uk/news/publications.asp
Paper copies are available from the National Archives and from the UK Data Archive.
Contact: digital-archive@nationalarchives.gov.uk or publicity@esds.ac.uk
For further information on Digital Preservation at the National Archives, please see: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/preservation/digital.htm
Press Enquiries: Contact Stuart Brennan in The National Archives Press Office on 0208 8392 5277 or stuart.brennan@nationalarchives.gov.uk
Contributed by Ann Green