Archivist Digital Archives & Information Systems Flashcards

Which metadata standard is most widely used for describing digital archival resources and is maintained by the Library of Congress?

Answer: EAD

EAD (Encoded Archival Description) is the XML-based standard maintained by the Library of Congress for encoding finding aids for archival collections.

In digital preservation, what does the term 'fixity' refer to?

Answer: Verification that a digital object has not been altered or corrupted

Fixity refers to the property of a digital object remaining unchanged, typically verified through checksums or hash values like MD5 or SHA-256.

Which OAIS model entity is responsible for negotiating submission agreements and accepting packages from producers?

Answer: Ingest

In the OAIS reference model, the Ingest functional entity receives Submission Information Packages (SIPs) from producers and processes them into Archival Information Packages (AIPs).

What is the primary purpose of a Submission Information Package (SIP) in the OAIS model?

Answer: To transfer digital objects and metadata from producers to the archive

A SIP is the package submitted by a content producer to the archive containing digital objects and associated metadata for ingest.

An archivist discovers that a large collection of TIFF images was saved with LZW compression. What is the primary preservation concern with this format?

Answer: LZW compression was historically encumbered by patent restrictions

LZW compression was historically encumbered by Unisys patents, raising concerns about long-term accessibility; the patents have since expired but the concern influenced preservation recommendations.

Which digital preservation strategy involves monitoring the technology environment and migrating content before formats become obsolete?

Answer: Technology watch

Technology watch is a proactive preservation strategy that involves continuously monitoring format and software obsolescence trends to anticipate needed migrations.

What standard defines the requirements for trustworthy digital repositories and is used as the basis for CoreTrustSeal certification?

Answer: ISO 16363

ISO 16363 (Audit and Certification of Trustworthy Digital Repositories) defines criteria for assessing repository trustworthiness and underpins CoreTrustSeal and TRAC audits.