Digital Preservation Tools for Repository Managers 4: Putting storage, format management and preservation planning in the repository

Abstract

The 5-module JISC KeepIt course on Digital Preservation Tools for Repository Managers was designed by repository managers. Each module consists of a mix of short presentations and hands-on exercises to learn about the basics and gain practice with each of the tools covered. Module 4 puts storage, format management and preservation planning in the repository, by making such functions available from within the familiar repository interface. Hitchcock's introduction briefly reviews the previous module, which acted as a primer on preservation workflow, formats and characterisation, as preparation for the preservation planning tools to be encountered in this module. This leads into an extensive practical tutorial on logical and bit-stream preservation using Plato (a preservation planning tool) and EPrints (software for creating digital repositories), which Rauber introduces with a rapid recap on the principles and reasons for digital preservation. Moving on to EPrints, Field presents a new 'hybrid' storage controller for EPrints providing selectable storage options locally and in the cloud. EPrints v3.2 introduces an abstracted storage layer which provides the ability for data hosting services such as Amazon S3 to be used as a storage back-end to EPrints. An accompanying tutorial leads users through some of the storage interfaces that EPrints can use, and also shows how to modify the storage policies. Tarrant places the process of managing formats and risk analysis in the EPrints repository interface. Another supporting exercise gives practical experience with the assignment of risk analysis scores to the discovered file formats to aid in digital preservation decisions. In this activity users are presented with a set of test files, a series of scanned images, for use throughout the remaining exercises. In a major element of this tutorial Rauber and Kulovits review preservation planning workflow, showing how to identify requirements using a mindmap approach and then how to upload the output to Plato, the preservation planning tool, to run experiments and produce results. Two exercises are outlined for users in the final 5 slides of the presentation, to describe the collection of test files provided previously, using the mindmap to define the requirements and to create the plan using Plato. The module completes with an exercise on preservation action (see document, no presentation slides), migrating selected files to new formats as identified in the plan. The preservation plan is uploaded to EPrints to act on the test files, displaying the results in an EPrints interface, also providing the means to review the preservation actions. Materials here include all presentations and supplementary materials to support the practicals, so the full course module can be experienced by other users.

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