Introduction

As in most rapidly changing fields, the terminology of digital preservation is fluid, with some terms having multiple meanings and others evolving over time. There are online glossaries that offer general definitions of digital preservation terminology. Because this tutorial is structured around two foundation documents—the Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS) and Attributes of a Trusted Digital Repository (TDR)—we present here definitions of key terms that are critical to understanding that context. These foundation documents arose from very different communities and sometimes use different terms to describe the same concept. Any such divergences will be indicated.

A third key resource is actually a set of documents produced by the OCLC/RLG Working Group on Preservation Metadata. Preservation Metadata for Digital Objects: A Review of the State of the Art begins with the results of several pilot projects built on OAIS, summarizes their similarities and differences and begins a consensus-building process based on them. Preservation Metadata and the OAIS Information Model: A Metadata Framework to Support the Preservation of Digital Objects attempts to reconcile and consolidate those efforts into a single preservation metadata framework compatible with OAIS. We've included these publications in a list of additional readings with top recommended resources and more food for thought.