Hydra Preservation Actions Working Group

Scope & Objectives

Whilst the two other Working Groups proposed have a clear focus on preservation metadata and how this might be accommodated within Hydra, there has also been discussion at a number of Hydra events and calls about where different preservation actions should best be carried out.  Some sites are looking to build these into Hydra directly (e.g., the ArchiveSphere development at Penn State), whilst others are looking to link Hydra to third party tools such as Archivematica that can carry out preservation actions.  Others are focusing on such actions within Fedora rather than Hydra.  The picture is very mixed.  It is thus proposed that a Working Group take a focused look at a range of preservation actions and offer input to the community on how these might be best embedded within a Hydra repository environment.  It is NOT intended that this Group make definitive statements about where such actions sit, as different institutions will have different views on this based on local policy and practice.  It is, though, hoped that such an analysis can provide key pointers to Hydra adopters on future practice.  The objectives of the Group will be:

  • To determine a list of relevant preservation actions to consider
  • To carry out a survey of Hydra adopters to capture data on how these actions are being carried out in the context of Hydra and why
  • To highlight the advantages and disadvantages of carrying out preservation actions in different ways
  • To report back to the community to reflect current practice

Deliverables & Timeframe

The Working Group will have the following deliverables

  • A set of preservation actions being explored
  • A survey and associated results on how preservation actions are being carried out by Hydra adopters
  • A review of preservation actions and how they can be carried out, based on the survey and associated Group analysis

Information will be shared via the Hydra wiki.  The timeline for the Group is to be confirmed.

Meeting Times & Communication