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The purpose of this paper is to consider how digital preservation system architectures will support business analysis of large-scale collections of preserved resources, and the use of Big Data analyses by future researchers.

This paper reviews the architecture of existing systems, then discusses experimental surveys of large digital collections using existing digital preservation tools at Big Data scales. Finally, it introduces the design of a proposed new architecture to work with Big Data volumes of preserved digital resources – also based upon experience of managing a collection of 30 million digital images.

Modern visualisation tools enable business analyses based on file-related metadata, but most currently available systems need more of this functionality “out-of-the-box”. Scalability of preservation architecture to Big Data volumes depends upon the ability to run preservation processes in parallel, so indexes that enable effective sub-division of collections are vital. Not all processes scale easily: those that do not require complex management.

The complexities caused by scaling up to Big Data volumes can be seen as being at odds with preservation, where simplicity matters. However, the sustainability of preservation systems relates directly to their usefulness, and maintaining usefulness will increasingly depend upon being able to process digital resources at Big Data volumes. An effective balance between these conflicting situations must be struck.

Preservation systems are at a step-change as they move to Big Data scale architectures and respond to more technical research processes. This paper is a timely illustration of the state of play at this pivotal moment.

This paper aims to clarify a mechanism for determining the robustness of digital preservation options given that the field has matured and contains a number of alternatives.

By examining the component activities of digital preservation, the open archival information system (OAIS) reference model and the trustworthy repository certification process, this paper outlines a possible new model for evaluating the caliber of any particular digital preservation mechanism.

This paper offers a more ordered and prescriptive model for evaluating digital preservation efforts.

As a review of the OAIS reference model is underway, this paper seeks to contribute to that ongoing discussion to address several issues lacking in the current model and its effect on the certification process.

This paper identifies weaknesses in current practices and offers a model for addressing them.

This paper aims to automate pre-ingest workflow for preserving digital content, such as records, through middleware that integrates potentially many information systems with potentially several alternative digital preservation services.

This design research approach resulted in a design for model- and component-based software for such workflow. A proof-of-concept prototype was implemented and demonstrated in context of a European research project, ForgetIT.

The study identifies design issues of automated pre-ingest for digital preservation while using middleware as a design choice for this purpose. The resulting model and solution suggest functionalities and interaction patterns based on open interface protocols between the source systems of digital content, middleware and digital preservation services. The resulting workflow automates the tasks of fetching digital objects from the source system with metadata extraction, preservation preparation and transfer to a selected preservation service. The proof-of-concept verified that the suggested model for pre-ingest workflow and the suggested component architecture was technologically implementable. Future research and development needs to include new solutions to support context-aware preservation management with increased support for configuring submission agreements as a basis for dynamic automation of pre-ingest and more automated error handling.

The paper addresses design issues for middleware as a design choice to support automated pre-ingest in digital preservation. The suggested middleware architecture supports many-to-many relationships between the source information systems and digital preservation services through open interface protocols, thus enabling dynamic digital preservation solutions for records management.

Preservation environments such as repositories need scalable and context-aware preservation planning and monitoring capabilities to ensure continued accessibility of content over time. This article identifies a number of gaps in the systems and mechanisms currently available and presents a new, innovative architecture for scalable decision-making and control in such environments.

The paper illustrates the state of the art in preservation planning and monitoring, highlights the key challenges faced by repositories to provide scalable decision-making and monitoring facilities, and presents the contributions of the SCAPE Planning and Watch suite to provide such capabilities.

The presented architecture makes preservation planning and monitoring context-aware through a semantic representation of key organizational factors, and integrates this with a business intelligence system that collects and reasons upon preservation-relevant information.

The architecture has been implemented in the SCAPE Planning and Watch suite. Integration with repositories and external information sources provide powerful preservation capabilities that can be freely integrated with virtually any repository.

The open nature of the software suite enables stewardship organizations to integrate the components with their own preservation environments and to contribute to the ongoing improvement of the systems.

The paper reports on innovative research and development to provide preservation capabilities. The results enable proactive, continuous preservation management through a context-aware planning and monitoring cycle integrated with operational systems.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the benefits of integrating a digital preservation system into the library as a way to ensure uninterrupted access to e‐journals and e‐books.

This paper introduces the concept of a digital preservation system, and shows how it can made to benefit end‐users through a simple integration with the online pubic access catalogue (OPAC), to ensure continuous access to a library's e‐journals and e‐books.

A digital preservation system ensures that libraries continue to have access to on‐line assets once a subscription is cancelled or the publisher discontinues access. It extends the traditional library model of print journals and books on the shelf to encompass digital media. Providing end‐user access to preserved content can be simplified by integrating the online public access catalogue (OPAC) with the digital preservation system through a link resolver. End‐users can access the preserved content using an interface they already know, and the integration guards against publisher outages to provide continuous access to the library's digital collection.

The techniques shown in this paper can be extended to integrating digital preservation systems with other library systems.

This paper illustrates a simple way for the library to ensure that end‐users have un‐interrupted access to digital assets, even if it is necessary to cancel a subscription or there is a temporary disruption in service from the publisher.

This paper aims to describe the Florida Digital Archive (FDA), a long‐term preservation repository for the use of the public university system of Florida, and the DAITSS preservation repository application used by the FDA. It seeks to explain requirements that shaped DAITSS design, outline functions of the current software, and describe how DAITSS is being rearchitected as a series of Web Services (DAITSS 2). It also endeavours to place the FDA and DAITSS in the context of various models for implementing digital preservation functions.

This is a case study of one model of digital preservation implementation that includes some comparison with examples of other models. The preservation protocol implemented by DAITSS combines bit‐level preservation, format normalization, and forward format migration; extensive preservation and format‐specific metadata are supported, and authenticity of content is maintained through application design and a complete record of digital provenance.

The formal OAIS model has much to offer, and DAITSS could be part of a preservation solution for large academic/research libraries and for consortia who can share central computing facilities and staff.

When DAITSS 2 is completed and implemented by the Florida Digital Archive, the code will be released for use under an open source license. Institutions, consortia and third party service providers looking for a more complete preservation solution than simple replication can consider using DAITSS 2 as their digital preservation repository application.

There are very few preservation repository applications that do nothing but digital preservation, do it well, and formally implement the OAIS model. The Florida Digital Archive's DAITSS was the first of its kind in the USA. DAITSS 2 will conform to the same requirements as DAITSS and will retain the same functionality, but it will be easier to implement and manage in production, and easier to maintain and enhance.

The purpose of this paper is to point out the importance of taking a holistic approach to bit preservation when setting out to find an optimal bit preservation solution for specific digital materials. In the last decade there has been an increasing awareness that bit preservation, which is to keep bits intact and readable, is far more complex than first anticipated, even in this narrow definition. This paper takes a more holistic approach to bit preservation, and looks at how an optimal bit preservation strategy can be found, when requirements like confidentiality, availability and costs are taken into account.

The paper describes the various findings from previous research which have led to the holistic approach to bit preservation. This paper also includes an introduction to digital preservation with a focus on the role of bit preservation, which sets the scene for why bit preservation deserves attention in a holistic approach.

The paper presents different means to find an optimal bit preservation strategy. This consists of a model to delimit bit preservation activities, and will briefly discuss how specific material can require different bit preservation strategies as well as pointing to how such strategies can be evaluated.

The operational results described here are still missing work to be fully operational. However, the holistic approach is in itself an important result. Furthermore, in spite of the shortcomings, the results can assist in analysis and evaluation of bit preservation strategies.

This paper is an extract of the findings presented in the doctoral thesis “A holistic approach to bit preservation”. The findings are relevant for any organisation that is required to do bit preservation of its digital material.

Digital preservation is currently a major concern for the information management, technological and scientific communities in all domains. It is also critical at the organisational level, with special pressure for all institutions with a responsibility for preservation, such as libraries and archives. This paper provides a brief overview of the main issues in digital preservation, highlighting current research and standards efforts.

This paper will aim to explain two strategies for digital preservation of law reviews, informing law librarians of the options which might best suit their needs.

On November 7, 2008, the Durham Statement on Open Access to Legal Scholarship was released to the public. One of its main tenets – that law schools and libraries “stop publishing journals in print format and rely instead on electronic publication coupled with a commitment to keep the electronic versions available in stable, open, digital formats” – was an open call to law libraries to start thinking about digital preservation strategies for their law reviews. The Legal Information Preservation Alliance responded to the need by developing the Law Review Preservation Program, an initiative, which archives law reviews hosted on the Bepress Digital Commons (DC) platform in Controlled LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) or CLOCKSS.

For those law libraries without subscriptions to DC, there is an open-source, freely available alternative solution for ingesting digital law reviews into any preservation platform. This application, called the Submission Information Metadata Packaging, or SIMP tool was developed at the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah, initially as a solution for ingesting content into the Ex Libris Rosetta Digital preservation platform, as part of a CONTENTdm digital asset management workflow. Though the development of the SIMP tool was inspired by Marriott’s need to ingest digital files from CONTENTdm to Rosetta, they built it to work with any Digital Asset Management System and Digital preservation platform.

Digital Preservation of law reviews is in its infancy. This is one of the first articles of its kind to provide specific solutions and technical advice for law libraries.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief description of the digital preservation programme at the National Library of New Zealand.

Following a description of the legislative and strategic context for digital preservation in New Zealand, details are provided of the system for the National Digital Heritage Archive (NDHA), developed with help from Ex Libris, and marketed as Rosetta. A small survey of staff attitudes to the NDHA was also carried out.

Key factors to be considered by others developing a digital preservation programme include: definition of strategic drivers; choice of a suitable business model; defining the exact purpose of the digital preservation programme; deployment and implementation; staffing aspects; and how to get started.

The National Library of New Zealand has been a leading organisation in digital preservation and its experiences will be of relevance to many other libraries throughout the world.