Introduction
Harvard Library collections include a variety of computer media that will be imaged using forensic disk imaging techniques and preserved in the Library’s preservation and access repository - the Digital Repository Service (DRS). As a first step towards providing support for this material in the DRS, the Library contracted AVPreserve in late 2015 to assist with the analysis. The goals of the analysis were:
- Recommended disk image formats to accept and prefer for the DRS
- Recommended technical metadata schema(s) to use for disk image file formats
- DRS content models for these objects
- Recommendations for enhancing Harvard Library’s FITS tool to better support these objects
The driving principles of this work were to:
- Provide interoperability with the existing metadata schemas and workflows of the DRS
- Provide sufficient metadata for long-term preservation of forensic disk image objects
- Adhere to existing standards where possible
- Propose simpler models over more complex ones where possible
Specifically the analysis was conducted in three areas: formats, metadata and tools. The work is ongoing. The deliverables from this analysis are included on this page.
Format Analysis
| Document | Description | Authors |
|---|---|---|
| Disk Image Format Matrix.xlsx | This spreadsheet compares Disk Image formats according to preservation criteria (shown in the first column). The cells are shaded to visually represent the value for the format (green is good, yellow is neutral, red is bad) | AV Preserve |
Metadata Analysis
| Document | Description | Authors |
|---|---|---|
Tool Analysis and Testing
| Document | Description | Authors |
|---|---|---|
Other Resources
| Document | Description | Authors |
|---|---|---|