MLS Digital Libraries and Preservation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'dark archive' in digital preservation?
- A secure repository where content is stored but not publicly accessible until the primary copy is lost (Correct answer)
- An archive that stores only encrypted digital content for security purposes
- A repository located underground for physical disaster protection
- An archive that only accepts digital content with unknown provenance
Correct answer: A secure repository where content is stored but not publicly accessible until the primary copy is lost
A dark archive stores digital content as a safety backup that is not publicly accessible under normal circumstances, serving as a last-resort copy when primary access is compromised.
Question 2: Which ISO standard provides criteria for auditing and certifying a Trustworthy Digital Repository (TDR)?
- ISO 14721 (OAIS)
- ISO 16363 (Correct answer)
- ANSI/NISO Z39.85
- ISO 2709
Correct answer: ISO 16363
ISO 16363 provides the criteria for auditing and certifying whether a digital repository is trustworthy and reliable for long-term preservation, separate from the OAIS reference model.
Question 3: What does DIP stand for in OAIS terminology?
- Digital Information Protocol
- Data Integrity Package
- Dissemination Information Package (Correct answer)
- Digital Indexing Process
Correct answer: Dissemination Information Package
A Dissemination Information Package (DIP) is the package delivered to an end user when they request and access content from an OAIS-compliant digital archive.
Question 4: What is 'normalization' as a digital preservation strategy?
- Converting digital objects into standardized, open formats for long-term access upon ingest (Correct answer)
- Organizing digital files using consistent naming conventions across collections
- Standardizing metadata across different digital collections for interoperability
- Compressing digital files to a uniform size to reduce storage requirements
Correct answer: Converting digital objects into standardized, open formats for long-term access upon ingest
Normalization converts digital objects from proprietary or unstable formats into standard, open formats—such as PDF/A or TIFF—that are more likely to remain accessible over time.
Question 5: What is the LOCKSS system used for in digital preservation?
- Allowing libraries to preserve distributed copies of digital content across a shared network (Correct answer)
- Securing digital archives with multilayer encryption and access locks
- Locking metadata fields to prevent unauthorized modification of records
- Managing access restrictions for sensitive or classified digital content
Correct answer: Allowing libraries to preserve distributed copies of digital content across a shared network
LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) enables libraries to create and maintain many distributed copies of digital content, ensuring long-term preservation through redundancy.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of a persistent identifier (PID) in digital libraries?
- To provide a stable, long-lasting link to a digital resource regardless of where it is relocated (Correct answer)
- To encrypt digital files and control access based on user credentials
- To track how many times a digital resource has been accessed or downloaded
- To automatically categorize digital resources into subject classification schemes
Correct answer: To provide a stable, long-lasting link to a digital resource regardless of where it is relocated
Persistent identifiers such as DOIs and ARKs ensure that links to digital resources remain stable and functional even if the resource moves to a different server or URL.
Question 7: What is 'format migration' as a digital preservation strategy?
- Converting digital objects from obsolete formats to current, supported formats (Correct answer)
- Moving digital files from one physical server to a new server location
- Transferring physical collection items to digital storage systems
- Updating metadata records to conform to newly adopted metadata standards
Correct answer: Converting digital objects from obsolete formats to current, supported formats
Format migration involves converting digital objects from old or obsolete formats to newer, more stable, and widely supported formats to ensure continued accessibility as technology evolves.
MLS Digital Libraries and Preservation 2
What is a 'dark archive' in digital preservation?