Public Sector & GLAM Preservation Framework
Public sector entities, Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) operate under a public mandate to preserve cultural heritage and official records indefinitely. This framework aligns public records management with international standards like OAIS (ISO 14721) and PREMIS.
The OAIS Reference Model (ISO 14721)
Every GLAM archival pipeline must map its data workflows to the functional entities of the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) model:
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | OAIS ARCHIVAL PIPELINE | | | | [Producer] ---> (SIP) -> [ INGEST ] -> (AIP) -> [ STORAGE ] | | | | | | [ Data Mgmt ] v | | | [ ACCESS (DIP) ] | | v | | | [ Preservation ] v | | Planning [ Consumer ] | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
- Submission Information Package (SIP): Raw files and initial metadata supplied by donors or internal departments.
- Archival Information Package (AIP): The preserved master containing raw content normalized into archival formats alongside PREMIS provenance metadata and checksums.
- Dissemination Information Package (DIP): Web-ready derivative files generated for public access portals or researchers.
Core Preservation & Metadata Standards
Public sector archives rely on standardized schema to guarantee cross-institutional interoperability:
1. Metadata Standards
- Dublin Core (ISO 15836): Basic descriptive metadata for broad discoverability (Title, Creator, Subject, Date).
- MODS / METS: Structural metadata wrappers used to tie complex digital objects (e.g., multi-page scanned books) together.
- PREMIS: Preservation metadata standard tracking digital object provenance, agent rights, and maintenance events (e.g., format migrations).
2. Archival File Formats
Rule of Preservation: Always retain the original bitstream alongside normalized open-format copies.
| Asset Class | Master Preservation Format (AIP) | Public Access Format (DIP) |
|---|---|---|
| Still Images | Uncompressed TIFF (16-bit), RAW | JPEG 2000, WebP |
| Vector / Text | PDF/A-1b or PDF/A-2b | Standard PDF |
| Audio | Broadcast WAV (BWF, 24-bit/96kHz) | MP3 (320kbps), AAC |
| Video | FFV1 in MKV container, Uncompressed MOV | H.264 / MP4 |
Compliance & Public Access Requirements
- FOIA & Public Records Mandates: Infrastructure must support rapid metadata indexing to meet strict legal response windows for public records requests.
- Section 508 & WCAG Accessibility: Public-facing DIP access interfaces must fulfill accessibility mandates, providing alt-text for images, transcriptions for audio, and closed captioning for video assets.
- Auditability & Fixity Logs: Public institutions must maintain cryptographic proof of chain-of-custody. Log all ingest dates, SHA-256 hashes, and integrity checks in append-only system ledgers.