4.1.1 - The repository shall identify the Content Information and the Information Properties that the repository will preserve.

Introduction

As stated in the Preservation Strategic Plan, SP is committed to preserving the intellectual content of every object held in the repository. SP has identified three properties which will be prioritized in all preservation activities:

• The metadata included with object at time of ingest, especially that which relates to other objects within the repository.
• The content object. SP will accept a wide range of well-known, commonly used formats, the details of which are negotiated in the Provider Agreement. The object includes all supplemental materials and the relationship between these objects, as can be determined from metadata or other context at the time of ingest.
• The intellectual rights to the object held by SP and members of its Designated Community Definition. These properties are used to control access to the content and to determine its preservation level.

Secondary considerations in preservation include the following properties. While not strictly a part of the intellectual content of the preservation object, these properties are necessary to ensure its preservation and as such must be tracked as well.

• The object’s chain of custody, starting as early as possible but at the very least from the time it entered the repository. This information is necessary in order to understand the history of the object, and to record any transformations or changes that have occurred to the content.
• Information on the object’s representation. For every digital object, some level of interpretation is necessary in order to transform the object from binary data into a human interpretable item.
• Fixity information. The repository will keep sufficient metadata on the object to ensure at any point in the future that the object remains in a complete and uncorrupted state.  

SP maintains the content objects in the Provider provided format until there is a need for transformation of these objects to delay or prevent file obsolescence. In the course of these transformations, priority is given to maintaining the information contained in an individual content object, as opposed to preserving its appearance or a specific presentation.

Responsibility

Digital Preservation Policy Librarian

Relevant Documents

1. Mission Statement
2. Provider Agreement
3. Workflow
4. Preservation Strategic Plan
5. Preservation Implementation Plan
6. Preservation Action Plan - Journals