Digital Archiving Strategy

Centre for Archaeology Digital Archiving Strategy

This document describes the strategy which the Centre for Archaeology has developed for managing its digital archives. The strategy is intended to establish best practice for the preservation of, and provision of access to, the full range of digital archaeological data of long-term value for which CfA is responsible.

The CfA currently holds c. 200 GB of archived data, and in excess of 400 GB of active data stored on the network file servers or offline. The collections cover all aspects of the CfA's work, including archaeological fieldwork and scientific research, dating back to the mid-1970s.

A Digital Archiving Programme is now underway to implement the strategy. This includes the establishment of appropriate infrastructure, improved procedures to govern all stages of a digital resource's life cycle, implementation of new preservation methodologies, and the broadening of access to the CfA's collections.

This is not intended to be a static document, but one which will evolve over time. This will be in response to changing technology, and developments in archiving practice, and also the practical experience gained from implementation. The current document (version 2.0) incorporates a number of additions and amendments which reflect changes in practice since the original release of the Strategy in 2000.

Also now available is the Preservation Management Procedures Manual, which describes detailed procedures for the evaluation, ingest, migration, and refreshment of data. This should be read in conjunction with the Strategy.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these documents, if you don't already have it, download a free copy.

 

Read the PDF version of the Strategy.

Read the PDF version of the Management Procedures Manual.

Digital archiving is such a vast and complex subject that it can only realistically be tackled through formal and informal collaborations at many levels. It is hoped that the publication of this document will contribute in some small way to the debate, and equally, its future development will greatly benefit from the expertise and experience of others working in this field. Comments are therefore actively invited, and can be sent to the author by e-mail or at the following address:

Adrian Brown
English Heritage Centre for Archaeology
Fort Cumberland
Fort Cumberland Road
Eastney
Portsmouth
PO4 9LD