Preserving digital records
Definitions
• Digital State records include emails, database reports, spreadsheets, webpages, word documents, digital photos, digitised paper documents… relating to official business • Digital State archives means the small proportion of these identified for permanent retention
The challenge
• government is keeping more records in digital form than ever before • rapidly changing hardware and software threatens to make digital records unreadable, lose authenticity • public offices are ready to transfer digital records as archives now
State Records’ digital records strategy
• practical standards, tools and advice for agencies on digital recordkeeping and preservation • collaboration with GCIO on RIMS technology procurement • policy on digital records preservation; advice on suitable formats for long term preservation • a whole of government digital archiving solution capable of receiving, storing and enabling access to ‘born digital’ State archives • Digital Records Advisory Group
Digital records preservation policy
• an explanation of the nature of the digital records preservation challenge • an overview of tools and techniques commonly used for digital records preservation • an analysis of our requirements for a digital records preservation program, and • some proposed principles by which our preservation activities would operate
Principle 1. Our digital records preservation approach is based on the migration of digital records into XML based formats.
• we endorse the use of Open Document Format XENA formats for long term preservation of digital records • public offices should aim to minimise number of times records are migrated into different formats • archival records should be migrated into XENA formats as early as possible
Principle 2. The content and essential characteristics of digital records must be maintained throughout and after the preservation process.
• the content of digital records must remain unchanged through preservation • metadata kept with records must define records’ essential characteristics • this metadata will assist in ensuring these are maintained throughout the preservation process
Principle 3. Digital records must be preserved in context.
• records being preserved must have a minimum set of metadata necessary for understanding and using them linked to or otherwise associated with them • the digital records preservation process must be recorded
Principle 4. The digital records preservation program must be flexible
• State Records will retain all transferred archives in their native format in addition to ‘normalised’ versions • State Records’ digital records preservation approach will be based on non-proprietary technologies • State Records’ digital records preservation approach must be scalable • we will continue to work with our partners on R&D to improve preservation techniques
Principle 5. State Records’ digital records preservation activities must comply with standards
• by implementing consistent approaches we will achieve cost savings and benefit from research and development activities by other government archives and other digital repository builders • key standards include the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model and ADRI standards eg. Digital Record Export Standard
Consultation process
• draft policy on State Records’ website under ‘What’s new?’ • deadline for comments: July 31 • finalisation by October in conjunction with digital State archives business case