DCC Digital Curation Manual: Instalment on Archival Metadata

Instalment on the role of archival metadata within the digital curation life-cycle. Describes the increasingly important role of archival metadata for digital curation, some practical applications for archival metadata, issues of interoperability between metadata schemes, the topic’s place within the OAIS reference model and the issues associated with preservation metadat

Je fais confiance à l'intelligence artificielle : Les enjeux, le projet, l'impact

The project aims to use AI to establish and maintain the trustworthiness of digital records. To this purpose it uses the concepts and methods of archival diplomatics and Deep Learning (DL), a subfield of machine learning and AI. DL is achieved by creating artificial neural networks in multiple layers that learn from input data through supervised learning. The objectives are to improve existing tools and create new machine learning tools for various records needs, using image recognition, optical character recognition, text summarization and classification, and more. The decision-making responsibilities are shared among academic and non-academic partners.Several studies are conducted to achieve the projects objectives objectives. One study aims to identify Private Personal Information (PPI) in records and link the labeling to diplomatics labeling. another study focuses on using DL to recognize the identity attributes of digitized parchments from medieval times through a tool called PERGANET. This tool could have a wide range of applications, including recognizing individual writing styles, analyzing archival annotations, and making AI datasets publicly available.Another study focuses on documenting the AI process, drawing on multiple fields, including social sciences, explainable AI, and archival studies. The goal is to answer questions regarding accountability and transparency in the use of AI and provide guidelines for creating and preserving records of AI processes and their outcomes.The I Trust AI project aims to combine the strengths of different fields and produce practical results that benefit society and address the challenges posed by the rapidly advancing field of AI, and DL in particular, ensuring its responsible and ethical use while realizing its potential benefits in various fields such as archives, cultural heritage, and governance.Le projet I Trust AI vise à utiliser l'IA et le deep learning pour garantir la fiabilité des archives numériques. Le projet combine les concepts et les méthodes de la diplomatie archivistique et du deep learning pour améliorer les outils d'apprentissage automatique existants et en créer de nouveaux pour répondre aux divers besoins archivistiques, tels que la reconnaissance d'images, la reconnaissance optique de caractères, la synthèse et la classification de texte. Le projet implique des partenaires académiques et non académiques qui partagent les responsabilités de prise de décision.Plusieurs études sont menées pour atteindre les objectifs du projet, telles que l'identification des informations personnelles privées (IPP) dans les archives et leur association à l'étiquetage diplomatique. Une autre étude se concentre sur l'utilisation du deep learning pour reconnaître les attributs d'identité des parchemins numérisés du Moyen Âge à l'aide de PERGANET. Cet outil a de nombreuses applications potentielles, telles que la reconnaissance des styles d'écriture individuels et l'analyse des annotations archivistiques.Le projet vise également à documenter le processus d'IA en s'appuyant sur les sciences sociales, l'IA explicative et les études archivistiques pour répondre aux questions de responsabilité et de transparence dans l'utilisation de l'IA et fournir des lignes directrices pour la création et la conservation d'archives des processus d'IA et de leurs résultats.Dans l'ensemble, le projet I Trust AI vise à produire des résultats pratiques bénéfiques pour la société et à relever les défis posés par le domaine en évolution rapide de l'IA, en particulier le deep learning. Le projet vise à garantir l'utilisation responsable et éthique de l'IA tout en réalisant ses avantages potentiels dans divers domaines tels que les archives, le patrimoine culturel et la gouvernance

Geospatial Data Preservation Prime

This primer is one in a series of Operational Policy documents being developed by GeoConnections. It is intended to inform Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) stakeholders about the nature and scope of digital geospatial data archiving and preservation and the realities, challenges and good practices of related operational policies. Burgeoning growth of online geospatial applications and the deluge of data, combined with the growing complexity of archiving and preserving digital data, has revealed a significant gap in the operational policy coverage for the Canadian geospatial data infrastructure (CGDI). Currently there is no commonly accepted guidance for CGDI stakeholders wishing or mandated to preserve their geospatial data assets for long-term access and use. More specifically, there is little or no guidance available to inform operational policy decisions on how to manage, preserve and provide access to a digital geospatial data collection. The preservation of geospatial data over a period of time is especially important when datasets are required to inform modeling applications such as climate change impact predictions, flood forecasts and land use management. Furthermore, data custodians may have both a legal and moral responsibility to implement effective archiving and preservation programs. Based on research and analysis of the Canadian legislative framework and current international practices in digital data archiving and preservation, this primer provides guidance on the factors to be considered and the steps to be taken in planning and implementing a data archiving and preservation program. It describes an approach to establishing a geospatial data archives based on good practices from the literature and Canadian case studies. This primer will provide CGDI stakeholders with information on how to incorporate archiving and preservation considerations into an effective data management process that covers the entire life cycle (DCC, 2013) (LAC, 2006) of their geospatial data assets (i.e., creation and receipt, distribution, use, maintenance, and disposition. It is intended to inform CGDI stakeholders on the importance of long term data preservation, and provide them with the information and tools required to make policy decisions for creating an archives and preserving digital geospatial data

Information Management: Challenges in Managing and Preserving Electronic Records

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Agencies are increasingly moving to an electronic environment rather than paper records. Because electronic records provide comprehensive documentation of essential government functions and provide information necessary to protect government and citizen interests, their proper management is essential. Further, the preservation of significant documents and other records is crucial for the historical record. Responsibility for the government's electronic records lies with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). NARA completed an assessment of the current federal record keeping environment in 2001 which concluded that although agencies are creating and maintaining records appropriately, most remain unscheduled, and records of historical value are not being identified and provided to NARA for archival preservation. Although NARA plans to improve its guidance and to address technology issues, its plans do not address the low priority generally given to records management programs, nor the issue of systematic inspections. Recognizing the limitations of its technical strategies to support preservation, management, and sustained access to electronic records, NARA is planning to design, acquire, and manage an advanced electronic records (ERA) system. However, NARA is behind schedule for the ERA system, largely because of flaws in how the schedule was developed. Further, to acquire a major system like ERA, NARA needs to improve its information technology management capabilities.

Research in the Archival Multiverse

Over the past 15 years, the field of archival studies around the world has experienced unprecedented growth within the academy and within the profession, and archival studies graduate education programs today have among the highest enrolments in any information field. During the same period, there has also been unparalleled expansion and innovation in the diversity of methods and theories being applied in archival scholarship. Global in scope, Research in the Archival Multiverse compiles critical and reflective essays across a wide range of emerging research areas and interests in archival studies; it aims to provide current and future archival academics with a text addressing possible methods and theoretical frameworks that have been and might be used in archival scholarship and research

Framework for effective public digital records management in Uganda

This thesis examines the framework for effective management of digital records in Uganda, which was undertaken by a detailed study of the 23 ministries, which form the Uganda Public Service (UPS). Areas of research inquiry included establishing the current state of digital records in the UPS and revealing the factors impeding the managing of digital records. This raised many issues about the way in which digital records are created, maintained and used, including possible lines of action to resolve current digital records management (DRM) problems. It also considered how the DRM services and practices used elsewhere could be adopted to suit the UPS environment. The status of DRM and the factors affecting the creation, use, maintenance and disposition of digital records were critically reviewed and evaluated and, towards the end, the thesis recommends strategies and makes proposals that could contribute to the development of DRM services in the UPS. The study adopted a mixed methods research approach and drew on the ‘records continuum’ concept for its analytical framework. The study drew on data from primary and secondary (literature and research reports) sources. Data collection from primary sources was carried out using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, which made it possible to study the personal perspectives and experiences of those involved in the management of records and of digital systems in Uganda. The approach provided insight into the UPS ministries, where data was collected from senior and middle managers, ICT managers and records managers, through a total of 40 interviews. This approach was essential in so far as it focused on the importance of the meanings that emerged as respondents defined their DRM requirements through interpersonal interactions and it guided the data collection, analysis and reflection activities. The analysis of the findings of the study revealed that the problems with DRM are largely due to the absence of ICT facilities with recordkeeping functionality, a lack of clear policies, guidelines and procedures, and to the fact that the Uganda Records and Archives legislation is not fully implemented and not properly enforced. It is argued that the failure to fully implement the National Records and Archives Act has led to a lack of appropriate institutional and managerial structures. Other problems include the lack of a reliable power supply and of sufficient financial resources and human capacity. Although no UPS ministry has a complete Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS), the survey of many ministries provided comprehensive evidence of the dynamism in the use of ICT that led to the generation of digital records. The problems and challenges elaborated upon in the study have shown that a successful DRM service depends on a number of factors. While it is not strictly possible to generalise the findings from this purposive sample to the whole of the Government of Uganda, it is likely that the issues identified in this study will apply to the whole of the Uganda public sector and, to some extent, to other sub-Saharan African countries. The study concludes that in order to facilitate a DRM service in the UPS, the objective should be to enable increased creation and keeping of records by digital means. The proposed recommendations are categorised into four key factors: the need for formal legal infrastructure; the need to establish formal instruments in particular a national archives agency with appropriate policies, procedures and guidelines; and the development of both robust DRM infrastructure and of appropriately skilled human resource capacity. These factors are necessary and need to be addressed urgently, and specifically for Uganda, in order to ensure accountable government for the citizens of Uganda in the digital world

Balancing Care and Authenticity in Digital Collections: A Radical Empathy Approach To Working With Disk Images

Both traditional recordkeeping and radical empathy frameworks ask us to carefully consider: the presence of sensitive information within digital content; those who created, are captured by, and are affected by a record (or the absence of that record); and the consequences of retaining or discarding that information. However, automated digital archiving workflows – in order to handle the scale and volume of digital content – discourage contextual and empathetic decision-making in favour of preselected decisions. This paper explores the implications on labor and privacy of the common practice to “take and keep it all” within the context of radical empathy. Practices which promote retention of complete disk images and encourage the creation of access copies with redacted sensitive data are vulnerable. The decision to discard must be deliberate and, often, must be enacted manually, outside of the workflow. The motivation for this model is that the researcher, archivist, curator, or librarian can always return to the original disk image in order to demonstrate authenticity, allow for emulation or access, or to generate new access copies. However, this practice poses ethical privacy concerns and does not demonstrate care. We recognize that the resources necessary to review disk images and make contextual decisions that balance both privacy and authenticity are sizable due to the manual nature of this work: this places strain and further labor on staff and practitioners using current digital archival and preservation tools. We proffer that there is a need to develop tools which aid in efficient and explicit redaction, but also allow for needed contextual and empathetic decision-making. Further we propose that more staff time is required to make these decisions and if that staff time is not available, then the institution should consider itself incapable of ethically stewarding the content and protecting those affected. Pre-print first published online 01/24/202