Skip to content

What Would an Ideal Digital Preservation Technical Registry Look Like?

This webinar will introduce the National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) produce to develop and deploy a Digital Preservation Technical Registry. The Registry is a collection management and preservation tool for digital collections. It is an interactive database that works with an institution’s digital storage system and digital preservation system, and has the capacity to describe and document:

  • file formats in relation to a format’s specification, specific individual implementations and characteristics
  • software, OS and applications relevant to accessing formats
  • hardware components and configurations relevant to accessing formats
  • physical format carriers relevant to accessing formats
  • relationships between file format versions including the software that can be used to view (or render), edit and save them
  • relationships between software, hardware and physical carriers
  • known risks associated with using any of these components.

Presenters

Steve Knight
Steve leads the team whose primary focus is preservation of and access to New Zealand digital content with a particular view to modelling and developing solutions that can be disseminated or scaled to national level.

The team also leads the Library’s response to the demands of digital preservation through the National Digital Heritage Archive (NDHA), a flagship programme designed to ensure the long term storage, preservation, and provision of access to New Zealand's digital cultural heritage. Steve was the business leader for the NDHA project, a four year programme responsible for the development of digital preservation processes and procedures, including development of the Rosetta digital preservation system and the development of staff capability and capacity within the Library relating to the handling and management of digital material.

Recent work includes testing the demand for a whole-of-country approach to digital preservation with a view to Digital Preservation as a Service (DPaaS), and pursuing the development of a Digital Preservation Technical Registry which will comprise a sustainable, central resource for reliable, accurate and comprehensive representation information.

Peter McKinney
Peter is the Policy Analyst for the NDHA. His work includes supporting the preservation programme through policy development, requirements development, preservation planning and coordination work. Most recently he has been coordinating work on the NSLA Digital Preservation Technical Registry. This aims to build a sustainable central resource focussed on reliable, accurate and comprehensive representation information. The Registry will capture and make accessible all aspects of technical information relating to digital preservation, including, but not necessarily limited to: formats, environments, applications, risks, plans, etc. In addition, the Registry will become a community hub for information sharing and tool development.