Untitled (Hidden Track):
Born Digital Content Preservation
Service at UIUC
Tracy Popp, MS LIS, CAS
Digital Preservation Coordinator
University Library
Stewarding Digital Content:
Select Challenges
– Not “eye legible” – dependent upon abstracted layers of
hardware and software to understand
– Maintaining authenticity
/provenance
– Resource issues
– Working at scale
– Hardware/software subject to
relatively rapid obsolescence
Computer Storage Media History *
(*not complete)
“Being aware of the context of relevant technology contributes to identifying
and weighing options for preserving digital content. The path technology
takes from idea, to development, to implementation, to mainstream use, and,
in most cases, to obsolescence is an important cycle to appreciate.” – DPM
http://www.dpworkshop.org/dpm-eng/timeline/index.html
Punched cards (as early as 1725)
Magnetic tape (1950s)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb
/d/d9/Punch-card-5081.jpg/800px-Punch-card-5081.jpg
http://www.dpworkshop.org/dpm-eng/timeline/viewall.html
http://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/?category=stor
http://www.ricomputermuseum.org/Home/collectionsgallery/the-history-of-computer-data-storage
Computer Storage Media History *
Floppy disks
8 “ (1971) , 5.25” (1978) 3.5” (1981)
(*not complete)
Iomega Products
ZIP (1994) , JAZ (1995)
Optical Media:
CD-Rom (1983)
DVD (1995)
Hard disk drives
For microcomputers (1980)
Others…
jump/thumb/etc.
drives (~2000)
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_acYR4s788c/SrurVIxREJI/AAAAAAAAF3g/grHF521RHg/s320/Optical+disk.gif
http://www.dpworkshop.org/dpm-eng/timeline/viewall.html
http://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/?category=stor
http://www.ricomputermuseum.org/Home/collectionsgallery/the-history-of-computer-data-storage
Magnetic Disk Geometry
http://www.mtsac.edu/~rpatters/CISB11/Chapters/Chapter_03/Figures/Fig04-05.jpg
Institutional Context
University Library
– Campus-wide
network of libraries
– Largest public
university research
library in U.S.
•
•
thirteen million
volumes
24 million items
and materials
Main Library building, East Entrance
http://www.library.illinois.edu/bis/images/uiucmainlib.jpg
Digital Preservation Coordinator’s Role
•
Manage the Born Digital Content Preservation service
•
Born Digital Content Reformatting lab
Stabilizing content stored on physical
media by migrating it from obsolete
or obsolescent storage to a
more contemporary,
managed and replicated medium
(e.g. networked-based storage)
Cache of external drives
Untitled (Hidden Track)
•
Digital forensics techniques and tools
Hardware and software tools
– Write blockers
– Variety of adapters
and technology
bridges/interfaces
– Disk imaging
•
•
recovers all of the bits on a disk
captures hidden content
Kryoflux floppy controller diagram
http://www.kryoflux.com
/
Digital Forensics Tools
Hardware
Forensics workstation
(FRED – Forensics Recovery of Evidence Device)
– Has write-blocking unit installed
•
Write blocker has adapters for a number
of interfaces
– IDE\SATA hard drives
– USB 3.5”\5.25”
floppy drive interface
(using FC5025)
– Provides a solid working platform – less of a
need to maintain “computer museum”
– Still need “Rosetta” computers
http://www.digitalintelligence.com/previ
ew.php?pic=/products/fred/images/fred_f
ront_med.jpg&title=FRED
Example
Sousa Archives - Manion Laptop
Challenges
Other Digital Preservation Activities
Medusa Digital Preservation Service
Repository and Collection Registry
•
•
•
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Already over 15TB of content
Bit-level preservation
fixity checking
file verification with FITS
Data redundancy
File/Content Plans
•
•
Working on migration case study
Emulation also in the works
Medusa by Caravaggio
Thank You!
Tracy Popp
Digital Preservation Coordinator
University Library
tpopp2@illinois.edu