CA Archivist Digital Archives & Information Systems 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which metadata standard is most widely used for describing digital archival resources and is maintained by the Library of Congress?
- Dublin Core
- PREMIS
- METS
- EAD (Correct answer)
Correct answer: EAD
EAD (Encoded Archival Description) is the XML-based standard maintained by the Library of Congress for encoding finding aids for archival collections.
Question 2: In digital preservation, what does the term 'fixity' refer to?
- The ability to render a file in its original software
- The process of converting formats to open standards
- Verification that a digital object has not been altered or corrupted (Correct answer)
- The assignment of persistent identifiers to digital objects
Correct 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.
Question 3: Which OAIS model entity is responsible for negotiating submission agreements and accepting packages from producers?
- Data Management
- Archival Storage
- Ingest (Correct answer)
- Administration
Correct 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).
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of a Submission Information Package (SIP) in the OAIS model?
- To deliver content to end users from the archive
- To package content for long-term storage within the archive
- To transfer digital objects and metadata from producers to the archive (Correct answer)
- To document the administrative policies of the repository
Correct 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.
Question 5: An archivist discovers that a large collection of TIFF images was saved with LZW compression. What is the primary preservation concern with this format?
- LZW is a lossy compression that degrades image quality
- LZW compression was historically encumbered by patent restrictions (Correct answer)
- TIFF files with LZW cannot be converted to other formats
- LZW compression prevents the extraction of embedded metadata
Correct 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.
Question 6: Which digital preservation strategy involves monitoring the technology environment and migrating content before formats become obsolete?
- Emulation
- Normalization
- Technology watch (Correct answer)
- Bit-level preservation
Correct answer: Technology watch
Technology watch is a proactive preservation strategy that involves continuously monitoring format and software obsolescence trends to anticipate needed migrations.
Question 7: What standard defines the requirements for trustworthy digital repositories and is used as the basis for CoreTrustSeal certification?
- ISO 14721 (OAIS)
- ISO 16363 (Correct answer)
- ISAD(G)
- PREMIS
Correct answer: ISO 16363
ISO 16363 (Audit and Certification of Trustworthy Digital Repositories) defines criteria for assessing repository trustworthiness and underpins CoreTrustSeal and TRAC audits.
CA Archivist Digital Archives & Information Systems 2
Which metadata standard is most widely used for describing digital archival resources and is maintained by the Library of Congress?