Disaster Planning for Digital Preservation at ICPSR

Background

In its 50-year history, ICPSR has always sought and implemented the most effective preservation strategies to meet its requirements. This approach has ensured an uninterrupted track record for preserving and archiving the social science research data in our custody. Recently, ICPSR has updated its digital preservation program to reflect changes in technology and practice by moving stored digital content from offline storage on tapes to multiple copies online in multiple locations through the establishment of archival storage partners. Another key step in addressing disaster planning for digital preservation has been consolidating and then closing offsite storage of accumulated print materials and media at local warehouses that were particularly vulnerable to potential emergency situations. Remaining stored content in print and media form is now managed by a vendor through a storage and retrieval contract with ICPSR. Moving to online storage of digital content, in addition to meeting archival storage requirements, has enabled all ICPSR to review information about archival copies. Through these steps, ICPSR has made significant progress in documenting and comprehensively managing digital content in archival storage.

Planning Principles

ICPSR developed the following disaster planning principles for disaster planning for digital preservation:

  • ICPSR will maintain a minimum of six copies of digital content (data, documentation, metadata, and associated materials) in digital form

  • At least one copy will be stored offline on tape media as a failsafe copy

  • Not more than two of the six required copies will be located in Ann Arbor

  • All of the digital assets and the associated processing and preservation history will be available online in digital form so that copies can be managed in a distributed manner

  • ICPSR will identify partners who are able to establish an alternate site for ICPSR's digital assets in the event of an emergency or disaster that prevents access to or the management of digital content in established onsite and online means

The ICPSR disaster plan documentation will include a section on disaster planning for digital assets that will incorporate these requirements and principles.

Recommendations

  • Review storage partnerships to ensure that six full sets of digital content are being managed onsite, in Ann Arbor, or with partners

  • Conduct tests to demonstrate that digital content can be restored from tapes as needed (e.g., following a disaster that affects online copies)

  • Enhance tools to monitor archival storage to ensure that six full copies are managed in the system

  • Formalize the plan to create and replace tape copies of digital content

  • Establish the capability of creating a well-formed Archival Information Package at the end of processing (Ingest) that is then moved to Archival Storage