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  1. Introduction
  2. Context
  3. Nature of the digital collection
  4. Digital preservation objectives
  5. Standards and systems
  6. Workflows and procedures
  7. Roles and responsibilities
  8. Resources, sustainability, and risks
  9. Security, environment, and business continuity
  10. Review of policy

1. Introduction

The National Library of Wales (NLW) Collections Management Framework sets out the context for the policies that support the Library in managing the collections effectively and efficiently for the benefit of the people of Wales and the World. This policy falls under this framework and should be interpreted in that context.

2. Context

The Preservation and Collection Care Policy set outs the high-level principles relating to conservation and collection care and affirms the Library's commitment to digital preservation. This Digital Preservation Policy sets out the Library’s position in more detail. Digital content is becoming an increasingly substantial proportion of the collections, but continued access is at risk from technology related issues such as hardware and software obsolescence and bit rot. Sustained access to digital material relies not only upon technical solutions, but also upon strategic planning and resourcing.

As well as aligning with The Digital Preservation Policy for Wales it also supports the Library’s corporate strategy A Library for Wales and the World 2021-2026 which places an emphasis on developing and investing in the work of collecting and preserving digital material in various formats. The NLW Charter declares that the Library’s aim is to “collect, preserve and give access to all kinds and forms of recorded knowledge.” Preservation is a core function, which NLW has been undertaken since its foundation. The increase in the quantity of digital material held by the Library is expected to continue. The Library is one of six Legal Deposit Libraries and receives Non-Print Legal Deposit (i.e., digitally published) content under the Legal Deposit Libraries (Non-Print Works) Regulations 2013.

3. The nature of the digital collection

The digital collection includes:

  • Digital surrogates of analogue material in NLW collections resulting from digitisation programmes
  • Electronic publications and e-books received under voluntary legal deposit
  • Legal Deposit material received jointly through the British Library arrangements
  • Websites and social media content
  • NLW’s corporate records
  • Archival collections which include a digital element, including software and hardware
  • Other digital objects such as digital mapping products or digital photographs
  • Digital visual and audio collections created, received, or recorded off-air as part of the collections of the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales
  • Theses from Welsh Universities

For preservation purposes, the NLW collection is not considered to include digital materials which are not held by NLW but can be accessed at NLW (e.g. on-line journals or reference sources such as EEBO, Ingenta, Ancestry.com and NewsUK). Access to these materials is usually covered by a subscription and licensing agreement, on the termination of which access to the resource is ended. NLW is not normally able to take responsibility for long-term preservation and maintained access to such resources.

4. Digital preservation objectives

The Library commits to ensure that digital resources remain reliable, authentic, and useable for as long as required. This will be achieved through the following means:

  • Providing a robust, reliable, and scalable and secure technical infrastructure for storing digital material
  • Ensuring the long-term sustainability of those NLW digital assets which have been selected for preservation and managing other digital assets in an appropriate manner, according to significance and use
  • Providing public access to every digital object held in the digital asset management system, where rights allow
  • Undertaking activities in a cost-effective and efficient manner
  • Being able to respond to the fast-changing environment through flexibility and innovation
  • Implementing efficient workflows for the management of the life-cycle of digital material, with automated processes, where possible
  • Undertaking costing activities for life cycle costs and securing sufficient resources for sustainability
  • Encouraging staff to innovate, develop expertise, transfer skills, and provide the environment to enable this to happen
  • Embedding digital preservation into library activities
  • Leading in digital preservation activities in Wales by promoting good practice and standards
  • Collaborating with other bodies to preserve Welsh digital assets

5. Standards and Systems

The Library will conform with best practice and recognised standards for digital preservation. Data relating to digital collections is also subject to the NLW Collection Description Policy. The Library has developed an OAIS compliant systems infrastructure for preservation which is based upon the ingest of digitised assets into its Digital Assets Management System, Fedora. It will continue to use this system and develop the Archivematica/Fedora pathway for the preservation of digital material.

6. Workflows and procedures

The Library will:

  • Continue to use the Fedora Digital Asset Management System for the management of its digital assets, according to prioritisation decisions
  • Develop the Archivematica/Fedora system for the pathway for the management of born digital assets
  • Remove digital content from storage media and ingest into the preservation system
  • Keep three copies of the digital data in separate locations
  • Check file fixity and virus check on ingest, monitor file fixity regularly and use write-blockers on content
  • Create, maintain and store technical, description and preservation metadata to enable sustainability
  • Ensure rights information is gathered to enable formats of digital objects to be changed on accession and migration, when necessary, and to manage access
  • Provide public access to the digital content through the Library’s catalogue and other appropriate resource discovery systems
  • Deal with digital backlogs to increase discoverability of digital resources ·
  • Ensure the security of the data in line with the Information Security Policy
  • Monitor file formats and undertake migration actions, when necessary
  • Ensure sufficient storage capacity is available for the digital content
  • Undertake preservation planning and risk assessments to assess preservation actions, including assessment against the NDSA Levels of Preservation or other relevant models
  • Enhance staff skills and knowledge through training and knowledge transfer
  • Collaborate with partners to increase capacity, share resources, and transfer knowledge

7. Roles and Responsibilities

Responsibility for the policy will reside with the Director of the Collections and Digital Services. Progress on implementation, and monitoring of activity, will be reported to the Digital Transformation Board. The operational aspects of the strategy will be led by the Digital Preservation Committee, which includes representatives from across the Library.

8. Resources, Risks and Sustainability

The NLW will seek sufficient resources to implement the policy and sustain the digital resources. If the NLW does not continue to implement its policy to ensure the long-term sustainability of its digital assets, it will lose integrity as a National Library and fail to fulfil the terms of its Charter. It will also risk its Archive Accreditation Status, which places an emphasis on the management of digital content. It will fail to meet the expectations of its users, face increased costs in restoring digital assets and services and will not be able to contribute to, or take advantage of, collaborative initiatives.

The Library works with several individuals and organisations to support sustainable digital preservation. These include partnership with other Legal Deposit Libraries. The NLW is a member of the Digital Preservation Coalition and engages with bodies including the Digital Curation Centre, the Preservation Advisory Centre, and the Open Planets Foundation. These bodies are actively engaged in supporting digital preservation and the Library will work with these bodies to support preservation aims.

9. Security, Environment and Business Continuity

The Library’s Information Security Policy states the Policy states the overall intention and direction in relation to information security. It describes the measures taken for the physical and environmental protection of the digital information. The ICT Business Continuity and Emergency Plans include procedures for recovering systems and services in the context of a disruptive event.

10. Review

This policy will be reviewed annually by the Collections and Digital Services Directorate.

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