File identification tools, part 3: DROID and PRONOM

File identification tools, part 3: DROID and PRONOM. Gary McGath. File Formats Blog.  June 1, 2015.
DROID (Digital Record Object IDentification) is an open sourced Java-based tool from the UK National Archives that is designed to identify and verify files for digital repositories.  It relies on file format information from the National Archive’s registry, which uses a tool called PRONOM. "DROID depends on files that describe distinctive data values for each format". It can verify single files or large batches of files, or it can be integrated into other applications. DROID generates reports about the file and the identify and verification, or report if it can't match the type of file. Sometimes it may report that a file has more than one matching signature, such as if there is more than one version of a format.

Digital Preservation Matters.

Siegfried v 1.0 released (a file format identification tool)

Siegfried v 1.0 released (a file format identification tool). Richard Lehane. Open Preservation Foundation. 25th Mar 2015. Siegfried is a file format identification tool that is now available. The key features are:

• complete implementation of PRONOM (byte and container signatures)   
• reliable results
• fast matching without limiting the number of bytes scanned
• detailed information about the basis for format matches
• simple command line interface with a choice of outputs (YAML, JSON, CSV)
• a built-in server for integrating with workflows 
• options for debug mode, signature modification, and multiple identifiers.

Digital Preservation Matters.

How one of the world’s largest archives is managing the move from parchment to pixels

How one of the world’s largest archives is managing the move from parchment to pixels. David Clipsham. Blog. January 16 2015.
The UK National Archives is to permanently preserve the records of the UK government that have been selected for their historic value. Because there was no authoritative source of information regarding file formats they developed PRONOM, a registry of file formats and the applications required to open and read them, and DROID, a freely available open source tool to manage that data and information.There the approach to digital preservation, which they call parsimonious preservation, is essentially two principles:

1. Understand what you have got
2. Keep it safe

In addition, they have built an infrastructure with programs for virus scanning, file fixity checking to ensure that any digital object received has not been altered or corrupted, identifying the file type, and recording of metadata.

Digital Preservation Matters.

EPUB for archival preservation: an update

EPUB for archival preservation: an update. Johan van der Knijff's blog on Open Planets. 23 May 2013. 
In 2012  the KB released a report on the suitability of the EPUB format for archival preservation. A substantial number of EPUB-related developments have happened since then, and as a result some of the report's findings and conclusions have become outdated, particularly the observations on EPUB 3, and the support of EPUB by characterisation tools. This blog post provides an update to those findings :

• Use of EPUB in scholarly publishing
• Adoption and use of EPUB 3
• EPUB 3 reader support
• Support of EPUB by characterisation tools

The use of EPUB is increasing and a number of publishers are all using EPUB 2. Also, a number of organisations representing the publishing industry support EPUB 3, though the actual use of EPUB 3 is still limited.The 2012 report concluded that EPUB was not optimally supported by characterisation tools. This situation has improved quite a lot since that time. EPUB is now included in PRONOM, and DROID.  Overall, EPUB's credentials as a preservation format appear to have improved quite a bit over the last year.

Digital Preservation Matters.

Digital Preservation Matters - 04 April 2008

Audio and Video Carriers: Recording Principles, Storage and Handling, Maintenance of Equipment, Format and Equipment Obsolescence. Dietrich Schuller. TAPE. February 2008.

This is an introduction to those working with sound and video collections. It outlines the history of various types of audio recordings, including CD and DVDs, how they were made and how stable they are. Also an overview of the passive preservation factors, particularly environment, handling and storage. Humidity and oxidation affect the physical surfaces. Other factors are dust, pollution, light, and magnetic fields. It includes a section on the maintenance of equipment and the obsolescence of formats.

IMLS Will Sponsor Second Conservation Forum for Collecting Institutions. Jill Collins. IMLS. Press Release. March 20, 2008.

This forum “Collaboration in the Digital Age” is intended to help museums and libraries think strategically about digital preservation. It is to be held June 24-25 in Denver. It will emphasized the fundamentals of digital content creation and preservation, emphasizing practical approaches to planning digital projects, increasing access to collections, enabling digital resources to serve multiple purposes, and protecting digital investments. In 2006, online visits accounted for 310 million of the 1.2 billion adult visits to museums and 560 million of the 1.3 billion adult visits to libraries. Yet 60% of collecting institutions do not include digital preservation in their mission.

Audio Tape Digitisation Workflow: Digitisation Workflow for Analogue Open Reel Tapes. Juha Henriksson, Nadja Wallaszkovits. TAPE. March 2008.

A practical web-based workflow for audio tape digitization. Looks at physical factors, such as tape problems, equipment, and conversion. The standard CD sampling rate of 44.1 kHz is outdated and may be inadequate for many types of material. Currently 96 kHz is regarded as a widely accepted standard. IASA recommends a minimum sampling rate of 48 kHz, though some types of material may need 192 kHz. They also recommend an encoding rate of at least 24 bit to capture analog items. Other topics are metadata, recording level, format, and archival masters. After digitization the digital file is now the preservation format. For preservation purposes an asset register should be kept and updated, and should also record the checksum for each file.

White Paper: Representation Information Registries. Adrian Brown. PLANETS. 29 January 2008.

A report on Representation Information Registries. These are a critical component of digital preservation architecture, containing the technical knowledge necessary to support access to digital objects. “Any meaningful digital preservation activity requires some form of knowledge base regarding the technical environments necessary to support access to digital objects.” This is expressed in the OAIS model. Key reasons for the registries are: efficiency of description; knowledge sharing; sustainability. “Preservation planning encompasses all activities which identify the need to perform preservation actions, and the most appropriate actions to perform in order to meet specified objectives.”

Developing Practical Approaches to Active Preservation. Adrian Brown. National Archives, UK. June 2007.

The active preservation methodology comprises three main functions:

1. characterization: measures the properties of digital objects needed for long-term preservation;
2. preservation planning: the appropriate preservation actions to be undertaken; and
3. preservation action: the results of preservation planning, transforming the objects

The PRONOM technical registry supports these functions and is the core of the preservation system. The preservation planning framework determines what preservation actions should be applied to which objects, and the appropriate time to apply them.