4.3 Preservation Planning

4.3 Preservation Planning #

4.3.1 - The repository shall have documented preservation strategies relevant to its holdings. #

Response #

Please see the documents below for SP’s preservation strategies.

Responsibility #

  • Digital Preservation Librarian

Documents #

  1. Preservation Strategic Plan
  2. Preservation Implementation Plan
  3. Preservation Action Plan - Journals
  4. Risk Analysis and Management Strategies

4.3.2 - The repository shall have mechanisms in place for monitoring its preservation environment. #

Response #

SP monitors the digital curation field for broad trends and emerging standards, carries out extensive usability testing, and solicits feedback from its Designated Community. In addition, SP works closely with OCUL member libraries to identify and manage format-related problems. Changes introduced by Providers will alert SP to new practices. The repository maintains a log of formats archived and monitors the number of files in each format, so the appearance of a new format will show up in the log.

Responsibility #

  • Digital Preservation Librarian

Documents #

  1. Environmental Monitoring of Preservation Formats
  2. Risk Analysis and Management Strategies

4.3.2.1 - The repository shall have mechanisms in place for monitoring and notification when Representation Information is inadequate for the Designated Community to understand the data holdings. #

Response #

SP is engaged in an ongoing discussion with the Designated Community about collection development and quality of material. Representatives from the Designated Community serve on various committees that provide feedback to SP with regard to the understanding of their materials.

SP also subscribes to PRONOM, an external registry of file formats. PRONOM contains information about the supersedence of one file format by another. SP uses this information to track understandability from a format perspective.

Responsibility #

  • Digital Preservation Librarian

Documents #

  1. Designated Community Definition
  2. Registry of File Formats
  3. Environmental Monitoring of Preservation Formats

4.3.3 - The repository shall have mechanisms to change its preservation plans as a result of its monitoring activities. #

Response #

As stated in SP’s Review Cycle for Documentation Policy, the policies surrounding the operations of SP as a Trusted Digital Repository are subject to review and revision on two schedules: an ongoing basis and a cycle of regular review.

Ongoing:

  • As outlined in its Mission Statement, one of the central responsibilities of SP is the preservation of the content contained therein. To this end, SP staff are continually monitoring relevant communication channels and news sources in order to remain apprised of developments that could affect the long-term viability of the collection.

Regular Review:

  • SP’s preservation policy and all its related documents will be reviewed every two years in its entirety. This review will be led by the SP staff member responsible for digital preservation, in consultation with a representative sample of staff from OCUL member institutions.

Responsibility #

  • Digital Preservation Librarian

Documents #

  1. Preservation Strategic Plan
  2. Preservation Implementation Plan
  3. Preservation Action Plan - Journals
  4. Review Cycle for Documentation Policy

4.3.3.1 - The repository shall have mechanisms for creating, identifying or gathering any extra Representation Information required. #

Response #

SP subscribes to PRONOM, an external format registry, for current format information. SP also monitors the digital preservation field as detailed in Environmental Monitoring of Preservation Formats. The repository also relies on the Designated Community to notify SP of any new or updated requirements necessary for Representation Information to ensure understandability and usability of the material.

Responsibility #

  • Digital Preservation Librarian

Documents #

  1. Preservation Strategic Plan
  2. Preservation Implementation Plan
  3. Preservation Action Plan - Journals
  4. Environmental Monitoring of Preservation Formats

4.3.4 - The repository shall provide evidence of the effectiveness of its preservation activities. #

Response #

SP has worked hard to maintain a trustworthy repository capable of long-term preservation. Since 2002, SP has worked closely with its Designated Community to consistently provide relevant and usable material.

SP has collections of appropriate preservation metadata for each file in its repository.

SP has already successfully migrated its entire repository from one platform to another with no material or metadata loss.

Responsibility #

  • Digital Preservation Librarian

Documents #

  1. Designated Community Definition
  2. Metadata Specifications