MetaArchive of Southern
Digital Cultural
Partners in the dispersed redundant dark archive
University Libraries at Emory
Auburn
Florida State
Georgia Tech
Louisville
Virginia Tech
LOCKSS: Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe
Library of Congress NDIIPP
The MetaArchive of Southern Digital Culture
will create and develop a digital preservation network for
critical and at-risk content relating to Southern culture and
history. The partners in this initiative will select and preserve
institutional digital archives, including institutionally
relevant materials such as electronic theses and dissertations,
as well as ephemeral works such as online exhibitions and
cultural history displays. This digital content will include
subjects that complement Library of Congress collections
covering the Civil War, the civil rights movement, slave
narratives, Southern music, handicrafts, and church history.
These collections will encompass born-digital works
containing existing works as well as newly created digital
works produced for web and other archival purposes.
MetaArchive Project Goals
1. Create a conspectus of digital content within the
subject domain held by the partners
2. Harvested body of the most critical content to be
preserved (3 TB per institutions)
3. Develop a model cooperative agreement for
ongoing collaboration and sustainability
4. Distributed preservation network infrastructure
based on the LOCKSS software
MetaArchive Deliverables
• Define the Scope of the Content
– What is Southern digital culture?
– What is “at risk?”
• Developing a conspectus: content selection
– What collections will be preserved?
– Metadata
• Adaptations showing any unique or qualified tags
• Rights issues: harvesting for preservation vs. user
access
Key Features of the
MetaArchive of Southern Digital Culture
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Distributed preservation strategy
Flexible organizational model
Formal content selection process
Capability for migrating archives
Dark archiving strategy
Low cost to deployment
Self-sustaining incentives
Simple preservation exchange mechanisms with
the Library of Congress
MetaArchive Preservation Strategy
• Redundant Access
– Bit Preservation
• Automated
– Content Ingestion
– MD5 Checksums
– LOCKSS Polling Algorithm (Trust Relationships)
– Distributed Copies
• 200,000 + square mile area
MetaArchive NDIIPP Network via Internet2
University of Louisville
NYC
Va Tech
CH
DC
IN
MAX Connection to Va Tech
Emory University
Ga Tech
ATL
Florida State University
Auburn University
FL Lambda Rail
MAX Network
Abilene Network
SOX Network
MetaArchive Hardware
• Off-the-Shelf Strategy
– Dell/Intel Based Hardware
• Could easily be HP or SUN Intel Based Hardware etc.
• Could be old desktops w/large hard drives.
– New Low Cost SATA SAN
• EMC AX100
– $4.00 per GB (already dropping in price)
MetaArchive Software
• Operating System
– RedHat Linux Enterprise AS v. 3/4
• Ease of update management and experience w/OS
– Could easily work on other versions of Linux
• JAVA SDK
• LOCKSS Content Ingestion/Replication
– LOCKSS Daemon 1.8.3 – 6-8 week updates w/RPM
• Conspectus Database
– MySQL/PHP Interface – Standalone System
• MetaArchive Collection Description Metadata
Schema
MetaArchive Collection
Description Metadata Schema
• Based on UKOLN RSLP Collection
Description
– Includes
• LOCKSS Manifest Page
• Risk Ranking – MA Ranking
• OAI-PMH Data Provider URL
Collection-Level Conspectus Metadata Specification
Access Rights
Accrual Periodicity
Accrual Policy
Accumulation Date Range
Alternative Title
Associated Collection
Associated Publication
Bytes
Cataloged Status
Catalogue or description
Collection Size
Contents Date Range
Creator
Custodial History
Description
Format Characteristics
Institution Collection Identifier
Is Available Via
Language
LOCKSS Manifest Page
Manifestation
MetaArchive Collection Identifier
OAI Provider
Publisher
Recommended Harvest Procedure
Rights
Risk Factors
Risk Rank
Spatial Coverage
SubCollection
Subject
SuperCollection
Temporal Coverage
Title
Type
MetaArchive follows Standards
• OAIS Reference Model
– LOCKSS Compliance
• OAI-PMH 2.0
– Using as alternative to current LOCKSS AU
strategy w/ETDs – VaTech, GaTech, FSU
• UKOLN RSLP Collection Description
– Basis for MetaArchive Conspectus
• http://www.metaarchive.org/pdfs/conspectus_md_2005.html
MetaArchive Collaboration
• Kickstart Installations for Linux Servers
– Easy to setup all hardware together exactly the same.
• Efficiency of Replication
– Kickstart can be used with production system as well as
with any Intel based machine.
• Communication
– Telephone conference, video conference I2, iVocalize
Chat/VOIP Room, Wiki, PhpCollab
• Study issues
– Dynamic content
– Format migration
MetaArchive Rights Issues
Any use of protected works generally will need to:
– fit within an exception to the exclusive rights of
owners, such as the “fair-use” doctrine or other
provisions relating specifically to library copying and
other activities
– undergo an investigation to determine whether the work
still enjoys protection or has lapsed into the public
domain due to notice or renewal defects
– occur as a result of valid permission from the copyright
owner(s)
– constitute an acceptable risk for the institution in
potential absence of “clear” resolution
MetaArchive Approach to Rights Issues
• Who will make decisions?
• How will we investigate current status of
works that pre-date 1976 Act?
• Define “acceptable” legal risk individually
or across institutions.
• Does “dark archive” lessen potential risks?
• How to identify owners and seek their
permission?
MetaArchive: Beyond Rights Issues
• Rights of publicity
– Names, images, likeness
• Rights of privacy
– Potential for damage
• Common-law or state statutory protections
– Apply to most restrictive jurisdiction?
– Apply to widespread norm across jurisdictions?
MetaArchive: Beyond Rights Issues
• What is the practical meaning of “infringement” in
the context of a “dark archive?”
• What kinds of limits currently exist in Sect. 108
that prevent or lessen its application to
preservation efforts such as MetaArchive?
• How can the law address works that have no
“owner” in a practical sense from which to acquire
permission to preserve?
Contact Information
MetaArchive of Southern Digital Culture
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Dwayne Buttler – dwayne.buttler@louisville.edu
Martin Halbert - mhalber@emory.edu
Robert H. McDonald – rmcdonal@mailer.fsu.edu
Gail McMillan – gailmac@vt.edu
http://www.metaarchive.org