Have you determined the metadata you have/need/want? Is the metadata for your digital content available?
Metadata requirements for digital preservation are different and additional to what you may have for your digital content. As a TDR, you will be following the requirements for preservation metadata as per the OAIS Framework and PREMIS (Preservation Metadata Implementation Strategies). Determining what metadata has already been produced or captured for your digital content is an important first step. Gap Analysis (cheatsheet) - a digital preservation gap analysis includes metadata
TDL Decision Tree: What does ‘well-managed collections’ mean and how do I achieve it? - well-managed collections include minimal metadata suggestions
The integrity features in the 1996 Preserving Digital Information report that were adopted for us in OAIS include:
Content: preserve “intellectual substance” of content as defined by significant properties
Fixity: identifiable as a “whole and singular work” and any changes are recorded
Reference: uniquely identify and specifically refer to a digital object in relation to other digital objects across time
Provenance: traceable to its origin, i.e., its point of creation, or, at minimum, from the point of deposit
Context: preserve technical dependencies, linkages with other objects, dissemination means and restrictions, and social environment (policies and norms)
The 2012 revision of the OAIS Reference Model added Access Rights to the list of integrity features, but otherwise retained the original set that was captured in the 1996 report.
Check with your organization about what descriptive, administrative, technical, rights, and preservation metadata for your digital content. Use the PAIMAS standard as a guide for negotiating what information the Producer of the content will provide and what the Archives of the digital content needs. Producer-Archives Interface Method Abstract Standard is one of the OAIS family of standards.
There are both automated and manual methods of extracting and creating metadata. Metadata for digital content may be produced in different parts of an organization and some of that metadata may be duplicative. A tool can also create or extract the same metadata as another because of their similar purposes. The COPTR website is a good place to look for and learn about metadata tools such as for metadata extraction.
Question for your team/organization: What are your DP services provider’s metadata requirements for the digital content they will be working with you to preserve? Does the transfer / Ingest tool create some of the technical and preservation metadata? TDL members contact TDL for more information and assistance.
Sources: Using approaches developed by and for the Digital Preservation Management (DPM) Workshop curriculum and resources.
Related Resources:
DPM Workshop https://dpworkshop.org/dpm-eng/foundation/metadata/adding.html
PAIMAS https://texasdigitallibrary.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/DPS/pages/3463282763
TDL https://texasdigitallibrary.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/DPS/pages/2523314
DuraCloud
Community Owned digital Preservation Tools Registry - Metadata
Preservation Metadata Implementation Strategies (PREMIS) (DPM cheatsheet) ( DPM video)
TDL Decision Tree: What does ‘well-managed collections’ mean and how do I achieve it? - well-managed collections includes minimal metadata suggestions
Gap Analysis (cheatsheet) - a digital preservation gap analysis includes metadata
This is a joint initiative between TDL Digital Preservation Services and the Digital Preservation Management (DPM) Workshop and Global Archivist LLC. Dr. Nance McGovern and Kari Smith 2024.