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Operational policy for digital preservation

1.1 This policy outlines THLHLA’s approach towards permanent preservation and access to its digital collections. It should be read in tandem with the Collections Development and Management policies. Digital collections include both born-digital and digitised records of historic value.

  • Born-digital records are documents created in digital format
  • Digitised records are digital scans of hardcopy material

The policy also outlines the principles that guide the preservation activities necessary for long-term protection and security of digital records.

1.2 The policy is also to

  • inform the public other stakeholders how THLHLA collects and retains material for its archive and local history library
  • act as a guide for staff who share a common responsibility in caring for the collections
  • be a framework to aid managerial decisions on future development
  • incorporate a statement of commitment to users and depositors

1.3 The policy is underpinned by the:

  • British Standards Institution Code of practice for cultural collections management PAS 197:2009
  • ISO 20652: Space Data and Information Transfer Systems - Producer-Archive Interface - Methodology Abstract Standard (ISO, 2006)
  • ISO 14721:2012 Space Data and Information Transfer Systems - Open Archival Information System - Reference Model (OAIS) (ISO, 2012b)
  • requirements of the Archive Service Accreditation Standard, 2018
  • current government policies Archives for the 21st Century (2009), and Libraries Deliver: Ambition (2016)

AUTHORS: Tamsin Bookey, Medha Chotai, Annette Mackin, Richard Wiltshire

ISSUE DATE: August 2023

NEXT REVIEW DATE: April 2025

APPROVED BY: Raj Chand, Director of Customer Services, 17 May 2023

2.1 THLHLA is committed to ensuring born-digital material earmarked for permanent preservation is available to future generations. To achieve this commitment it works with

  • council’s procurement, IT, information governance and information security teams
  • preservation system providers
  • wider professional archive and information sectors

2.2 THLHLA currently stores born-digital and digitised collections on a shared drive folder on the Council’s server. The folder is backed up nightly. Other digital files are on remote drives or carrier formats recorded on a Digital Asset Register.

2.3 The procurement of the digital preservation system, Preservica in March 2022 supports the permanent preservation of digital records held at THLHLA. Core objectives of the system are

  • to receive and manage born-digital collections from shared drives and carrier formats
  • preserve file formats and metadata about the files, such as the date they were created
  • to work seamlessly with the online catalogue so people can view digital items easily

Digital material is stored in Preservica’s cloud storage.

Future procedure will be adapted in-line with The National Archives Digital Preservation Workflows guidance, 2020.

2.4 Born-digital material includes archival documents as well as publications which form part of the local history library.

2.5 All born-digital material is accessioned on THLHLA’s CALM Collections Management database.

2.6 Born-digital material is documented in a Digital Asset Register at the point of accession. This helps to facilitate the ongoing preservation of digital items, such as

  • monitoring of file formats
  • any associated risks with older storage carriers like floppy disks

2.7 The service recognises it may be beneficial to acquire collections by means of digitisation. For example, where the owner of physical material wishes it to be available but does not want to deposit the originals yet or ever.

These digitised files are usually created in the highest quality preservable format. To date this is mainly TIFFs for images and WAV files for recordings. They are managed and stored according to the same principles and procedures as born-digital records.

3.1 The strategic aims for managing THLHLA’s collections are reflected in the service’s annual Team Plan.

3.2 Decisions regarding any changes or developments in collection management are made in regular meetings of the Collections Management team which are held at least quarterly.