13. Archivist Values
Archival records exist to be used and not merely saved for their own sake. Archivists are not hoarders or packrats. Archival records ought to be organized properly and in a timely way so they can be used. Archivists should administer their collections equitably and impartially. (309, 310)
As discussed last month, the archivist works with the information producer using a standard Ingest process to create a defined Archival Information Package (AIP) for deposit to the archive. The AIP consists of the Content Information intended for archive plus associated Preservation Description Information (PDI). In the table below, the CCSDS standard gives examples of types of PDI.
| Content Information Type |
Reference |
Provenance |
Context |
Fixity |
|
Space Science Data |
• Object identifier• Journal reference• Mission, instrument, title, attribute set |
• Instrument description • Processing history • Sensor description • Instrument • Instrument mode • Decommutation map • Software interface specification |
• Calibration history • Related data sets • Mission • Funding history |
• CRC • Checksum • Reed-Solomon coding |
|
Digital Library Collections |
• Bibliographic description • Persistent identifier |
For scanned collections: • metadata about the digitisation process • pointer to master version |
• Pointers to related documents in original environment at the time of publication |
• Digital signature• Checksum• Authenticity indicator |
| For born-digital publications: • pointer to the digital original |
||||
| Metadata about the preservation process: • pointers to earlier versions of the collection item • change history |
||||
|
Software
|
• Name • Author / Originator • Version number • Serial number |
• Revision history • License holder • Registration • Copyright |
• Help file • User guide • Related software • Language |
• Certificate • Checksum • Encryption • CRC |
The OAIS needs to explicitly decide what the exact definition of Content Information is in order to be able to ensure that it also has the PDI needed to preserve the Content Information. Once the Content Information has been determined, it is possible to assess the Preservation Description Information.
Anyone seriously looking to establish an electronic archive should closely read the CCSDS standard. The following link (http://public.ccsds.org/publications/archive/650x0b1.PDF ) will connect the reader to it.
Next Month: The Corporate Role for Electronic Records Quality
In reality the corporate executive responsible for a regulated work process is the individual ultimately responsible to authorities for the integrity of electronic records produced by that work process and the quality of software systems being used to produce and archive those regulated work process e-records. (311)