4.3.2.1 Mechanisms for monitoring and notification when Representation Information is inadequate for the Designated Community to understand the data holdings

Requirement Text

The repository shall have mechanisms in place for monitoring and notification when Representation Information or the Content Data itself is inadequate for the Designated Community to understand, in ways exemplified by the associated Preservation Objectives, the data holdings.

Supporting Text

This is necessary in order to ensure that the preserved information remains understandable and usable by the Designated Community.

Examples for Meeting the Requirement

Subscription to a Representation Information registry service; subscription to a technology watch service, surveys amongst its Designated Community members, relevant working processes to deal with this information.

Discussion

The repository must show that it has some active mechanism to warn of impending obsolescence. Obsolescence is determined largely in terms of the knowledge base of the Designated Community.

Evidence Provided

Mandatory Representation Information that members must deposit is described in Section 4.5.1. This required metadata is validated during ingest and during preservation activities on the object. As a bit-level preservation service, APTrust does not perform format or content migrations and cannot guarantee the information remains understandable. APTrust’s Designated Community is expected to maintain a Knowledge Base that captures and records the information required to ensure the content remains understandable.