Preserving the Collection
How can you keep the collection safe for future generations?

Steps to Success: After the Event

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6 STEP 7 STEP 8 STEP 9 STEP 10 STEP 11 STEP 12 STEP 13 STEP 14 STEP 15 STEP 16 STEP 17 STEP 18

STEP 1

Organize the paperwork gathered from the Welcome Station and the Copying Station.

At the end of the event, after all Contributors have left, the Welcome Station Captain and the Copying Station Captain will have delivered all completed Event Registration and Permission Forms and Descriptive Information Forms (as outlined in the Obtaining Permissions and Copying Items modules) to the Digital Preservation Specialist. The Digital Preservation Specialist will then organize and create digital copies of these completed forms and will send them to the appropriate Project Team members for data entry and community engagement purposes.

Put all of the paperwork in order.

Each event Contributor has a unique identification number (the Contributor Nametag Number on the Event Registration Form), which was assigned at the Welcome Station and which is tied to all the paperwork they completed and the Items they contributed during the event. For ease of use and retrieval of information about Contributors after the event, the RoPA Developers recommend that the Digital Preservation Specialist organize the Event Registration and Permission Forms and the Descriptive Information Forms using this unique Contributor Nametag Number. The two sets of forms (the Event Registration and Permission Forms and the Descriptive Information Forms) should be organized and stored separately. 

Digitize and save a copy of all Event Registration and Permission Forms.

The Digital Preservation Specialist will digitize the completed Event Registration and Permission Forms using a scanner or copy machine, ideally one with a document feeder scanner or multi-page scanner, and ultimately save the files as a PDF/A. PDF/A is the preferred file setting for saving and storing PDF documents over the long term.

It’s important to scan both sides of these forms, in case the Contributor or an event volunteer included any additional information on the backside of a form. 

Note that many document feeder scanners or multi-page scanners can only save a certain number of pages at a time, so depending on the number of forms you have, you may need to digitize the forms in several batches.

It may be necessary to open the new PDF file(s) and save them again in the new PDF/A format. To do this you will need to use Adobe Acrobat Pro, which we recommend using in our RoPA Equipment and Software Inventory (download as MS Excel file).

  • Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for saving PDF versions of the Event Registration and Permission Forms as PDF/A files using Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Digitize and save a copy of all Descriptive Information Forms.

The Digital Preservation Specialist will digitize the completed Descriptive Information Forms using a scanner or copy machine, ideally one with a document feeder scanner or multi-page scanner, and save the files as a PDF/A. PDF/A is the preferred file setting for saving and storing PDF documents over the long term. It’s important to scan both sides of these forms, in case the Contributor or an event volunteer included any additional information on the backside of a form. 

Note that many document feeder scanners or multi-page scanners can only save a certain number of pages at a time, so depending on the number of forms you have, you may need to digitize the forms in several batches.

It may be necessary to open the new PDF file(s) and save them again in the new PDF/A format. To do this you will need to use Adobe Acrobat Pro, which we recommend using in our RoPA Equipment and Software Inventory (download as MS Excel file).

  • Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for saving PDF versions of the Descriptive Information Forms as PDF/A files using Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Store the physical forms.

Once the Event Registration and Permission Forms and the Descriptive Information Forms have been digitized and added to the Event Hard Drive, the Digital Preservation Specialist should work with the Collection Coordinator to store the physical forms. These should not be discarded, but should be saved and preserved as part of the planning materials related to your event and collection.

STEP 2

Gather and save all Items that were emailed to the designated Event Email Address.

Remember that there were three ways for people to contribute Items at the Copying Station. Contributors could:

  1. Have their physical Items digitized by Copying Station Volunteers;
  2. Work with a Copying Station Volunteer to transfer their Items from a device like a flash drive; or
  3. Work with a Copying Station Volunteer to email Items to a designated Event Email Address.

After your event, the Digital Preservation Specialist will need to gather the emailed Items and save them to the Event Hard Drive.

Save emailed Items.

The Digital Preservation Specialist will need to carefully review the designated Event Email Address account to locate Items that were emailed by Contributors. To help with this process, you can review the completed Descriptive Information Forms, as Copying Station Volunteers used the “For Project Team Use Only” section of each form to note whether an Item was emailed.

At the Copying Station, the Contributor was instructed to enter the Item ID Number from the Item’s corresponding Descriptive Information Form as the email subject line. When the Digital Preservation Specialist downloads and saves the emailed Items, they will use the Item ID Number from the subject line of the email as the new file name.

At this time, the Digital Preservation Specialist will first save the emailed items with their new file names to the appropriate Email Items folder on the Event Hard Drive (in bold below).

Event Hard Drive
  • event#-YYYYMMDD-event-name
    • preservation-copies-f0
      • all-items
      • Copying Backup1 Mid-Day
        • Copying Station 1
        • Copying Station 2
        • Copying Station 3
      • Copying Backup2 End-of-Day
        • Copying Station 1
        • Copying Station 2
        • Copying Station 3
      • Descriptive Information Forms
      • Emailed Items
      • Event Registration and Permission Forms

Troubleshoot and locate any missing emailed Items.

There is plenty of room for error in the process of locating and saving emailed Items, so you will want to be cautious and make sure you are saving Items with the correct Item ID Number. To help with this process, you can review the Descriptive Information Forms, as Copying Station Volunteers noted whether an Item was emailed in the For Project Team Use Only section of the form. 

If you have trouble locating any emailed Items, first be sure to check the Spam or Junk Email folders in the account for the designated Event Email Address. 

If you still can’t locate the emailed Items, use the Event Registration and Permission Form to locate the contact information for the Contributor. Get in touch with the Contributor and ask them to send another copy of the Item(s).

STEP 3

Prepare to copy files from the Event Hard Drive to the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

Before the Digital Preservation Specialist can copy the files collected at your event to the Digital Preservation Hard Drive, you will need to first perform an antivirus scan on the contents of the Event Hard Drive and generate a checksum for all the files you are planning to copy and preserve.

Perform an antivirus scan on the Event Hard Drive.

In Step 5 of the Before the Event section of this module, we recommended installing antivirus software on the computer you will be using to carry out digital preservation activities on the Items you gathered at your event. 

Using this software on a Windows machine, it’s typically possible to right-click (using your mouse or touchpad on your computer) on the folders or device for which you would like to perform an antivirus scan. There should be an option using language like “Scan for threats.” After the scan is complete, if no viruses have been found you can close the antivirus scan software. If any viruses were found, use the software to see if it’s possible to remove the virus. You may need to delete the infected file(s) and contact the Item Contributor. Be sure to note the infected file’s Item ID Number before you delete it.

Generate a checksum of event files on the Event Hard Drive using the MD5Summer tool.

Before you can copy your files from the Event Hard Drive to the Digital Preservation Hard Drive, you will need to generate a checksum. As a reminder, a checksum is a way to differentiate between different individual files and groups of files, and to verify if these files or groups of files change or are damaged, either due to an action you take or gradually over time.

In Step 5 of the Before the Event section of this module, we recommended installing MD5Summer software on the computer you will be using to carry out digital preservation activities. 

  • Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for using MD5Summer to generate a checksum for the files from your event.

STEP 4

Copy the preservation-copies-f0 folder to the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

Now that you’ve performed an antivirus scan on the Event Hard Drive and generated a checksum for the files you would like to copy, you are ready to copy the preservation-copies-f0 folder to the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

Note: Before you begin to copy files, it’s important that you make sure to copy the files from the Event Hard Drive, and not move them. Moving files means that you’re effectively retaining only one copy at a time. You want, for the time being, to retain a copy of all the files from your event on both the Event Hard Drive and the Digital Preservation Hard Drive. Remember the acronym about data redundancy: “LOCKSS,” which stands for “lots of copies keep stuff safe.”

Copy the preservation-copies-f0 folder to the items folder on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

In Step 5 of the Before the Event section of this module, we recommended installing the TeraCopy software on the computer you will be using to carry out digital preservation activities. This tool is helpful for copying or moving digital files, while retaining the original creation dates.

To copy these files, both the Event Hard Drive and the Digital Preservation Hard Drive will need to be plugged into your computer.

  • Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for using TeraCopy to copy your files from the Event Hard Drive to the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

Verify that the files copied to the Digital Preservation Hard Drive were not damaged during the copying process.

Whenever you copy or move digital files, you risk damaging those files. Now that the files from your Event Hard Drive are on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive, you can use the MD5Summer checksum that you generated before moving your files to verify that none of those files changed or were damaged during this process. You do this by verifying the accuracy of that saved checksum against the files on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

  • Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for using MD5Summer to verify the accuracy of your checksum and that your files weren’t damaged during the transfer process.

STEP 5

Remove duplicate files from the Copying Station folders.

At your event, the different Copying Stations were backed up to the Event Hard Drive at mid-day and at end-of-day. This will mean that there are duplicate files in the Copying Backup1 Mid-Day folder and in the Copying Backup2 End-of-Day folder for each Copying Station.

In Step 5 of the Before the Event section of this module, we recommended installing the HashMyFiles software on the computer you will be using to carry out digital preservation activities. This tool generates a new checksum for each file you have, with the specific aim of identifying duplicate files. You will use the HashMyFiles checksum generator and duplicate file finding tool to compare the Copying Backup1 Mid-Day folder for each Copying Station Table to the Copying Backup2 End-of-Day folders for that same Copying Station Table.

Most likely, the images in the Copying Backup1 Mid-Day folder for each Copying Station Table will all be duplicates of files that are also in the Copying Backup2 End-of-Day folder for each Copying Station Table. 

  • Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for using HashMyFiles to determine which files are duplicates.

STEP 6

Consolidate Items from Copying Backups2 End-of-Day folder and Email Items folder in the all-items folder.

Now that you’ve identified and removed any duplicate files from your Copying Station backups folders, you should consolidate all contributed Items to the all-items folder on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive using TeraCopy.

Move Items from Copying Backups2 End-of-Day folder to all-items folder.

  • Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for using TeraCopy to move files from the Copying Backups2 End-of-Day folder to the all-items folder on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

Move Items from the Emailed Items folder to the all-items folder.

  • Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for using TeraCopy to move files from the Emailed Items folder to the all-items folder on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

STEP 7

Move digitized forms and paperwork to the metadata folder.

After moving all files from the Copying Station backups folders, you can move and consolidate all the Event Registration and Permission Forms and Descriptive Information Forms in the metadata folder on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

  • Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for using TeraCopy to move and consolidate all the Event Registration and Permission Forms and Descriptive Information Forms in the metadata folder on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

STEP 8

Confirm and delete empty folders from the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

In steps 6 and 7 above, you moved all the Items contributed at your event and all the forms and paperwork to their appropriate folders. As a result, the following folders on your Digital Preservation Hard Drive should be empty:

  • Copying Backups2 End-of-Day folder
  • Copying Station Table 1
  • Copying Station Table 2
  • Copying Station Table 3
  • Descriptive Information Forms
  • Emailed Items
  • Event Registration and Permission Forms

After you’ve visually confirmed that the above folders are all empty, and their contents are moved elsewhere on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive, you can delete these folders. If there are still files in any of these folders, you will need to troubleshoot and make sure that copies of all these files are also in the all-items folder. Only when the folders listed above are empty can they be deleted.

After you’ve deleted all the empty folders, the folder structure on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive should look like this:

Digital Preservation Hard Drive
  • event#-YYYYMMDD-event-name
    • items
      • preservation-copies-f0
        • all-items
    • metadata

STEP 9

Create Production Copies of files.

Now that you have created one set of files that includes all the Items that people contributed at your event, you can create copies of those files that the Online Access Specialist and the Data Entry Volunteer can refer to in their data entry work and when they post the collection online. These copies are generated from the files in the all-items folder in your preservation-copies-f0 folder and are called Production Copies.

Create a Production Copies folder on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

Within the items folder for your event on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive, create a new folder called production-copies-f1. After creating this folder, the file structure on your Digital Preservation Hard Drive should look like this:

Digital Preservation Hard Drive
  • event#-YYYYMMDD-event-name
    • items
      • preservation-copies-f0
        • all-items
      • production-copies.f1
    • metadata

Create Production Copies of all image files in the all-items folder.

When you are creating Production Copies of the Items, you will also take the opportunity to create uniform file types for all the Items in the collection. As you know, Items may have been contributed in any number of formats, from jpg files, to tif files, to png files. When we copy the Items to the production-copies-f1 folder on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive, we’re also going to convert the image files to all be TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) files. This doesn’t necessarily improve the quality of the images, but TIFF is recognized as being an archivally sound and stable image format. 

In Step 5 of the Before the Event section of this module, we recommended installing the IrfanView scanning and image processing software on the computer you will be using to carry out digital preservation activities. This tool is useful for a wide range of image processing needs, including renaming and reformatting files.

  • Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for using IrfanView to create Production Copies of images in your collection and to reformat those copies as TIFF files.

Create Production Copies of any PDF files in the all-items folder.

IrfanView is not able to process PDF files, so should there be any PDF files in your all-items folder for your event on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive, you will need to use TeraCopy to create copies of those files in the production-copies-f1 folder.

  • Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for using TeraCopy to create Production Copies of any PDF files from the all-items folder for your event.

STEP 10

Make any necessary edits to Production Copies.

Once you’ve successfully created a full set of Production Copies, including all image and PDF files, you can make any necessary changes or edits to the files in the production-copies-f1 folder on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive. The files in the preservation-copies-f0 folder should continue to remain unedited.

While most Production Copies can and should remain unedited, there are generally three instances where you will want to consider making an edit to one of these files.

  1. Rotating images: Because of their size or due to error, some Items may have been scanned upside down or sideways. Use your preferred image processing software, whether it’s IrfanView or Windows Photos, to rotate the image to the correct orientation, and then simply save the file.
  2. Cropping images: Because of their size or due to error, sometimes more than just the Item itself was scanned and the image file will need to be cropped. Use your preferred image processing software, whether it’s IrfanView or Windows Photos, to crop the image, and then simply save the file.
  3. Creating multi-page PDF files of images for which there are multi-page scans:
    1. At the Copying Station, when there were multiple pages of an Item, the Copying Station Volunteers were instructed (in the Workflow for Scanning Items) to name each scan of the multi-page file with a letter after the Item ID Number. (e.g. 75-97-2a, 75-97-2b, 75-97-2c, etc.).
    2. These separate image files should be merged into one single PDF file using Adobe Acrobat Pro.
    3. Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for merging these image files and creating a single PDF.

STEP 11

Copy final Production Copies to event#-YYYYMMDD-event-name folder on the Event Hard Drive.

After making any necessary changes and edits to the Production Copies on your Digital Preservation Hard Drive, the Digital Preservation Specialist will copy those files to the event#-YYYYMMDD-event-name folder on the Event Hard Drive. This Event Hard Drive will be used by the Online Access Specialist and the Data Entry Volunteer as they prepare to put the collection online.

  • Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for using TeraCopy to copy your Production Copies from the Digital Preservation Hard Drive to the event#-YYYYMMDD-event-name folder on the Event Hard Drive.

STEP 12

Deliver the Event Hard Drive to the Online Access Specialist.

Once the Digital Preservation Specialist has completed the above activities on the Event Hard Drive, including putting PDF copies of all completed Event Registration and Permission Forms and Descriptive Information Form (as described in Step 2 above) on the drive, they should deliver the Event Hard Drive to the Online Access Specialist and notify them of the following:

  • All the Items contributed at the event should be in the production-copies-f1 folder.
  • Copies of Event Registration and Permission Forms and Descriptive Information Forms can be found in their respective folders in the preservation-copies-f0 folder on the Event Hard Drive.
  • Copies of all their original, unedited Items are still in the Copying Backups2 End-of-Day folder and the Emailed Items folder, in case they’re needed for reference. Copies of all these should also be in the production-copies-f1 folder, however.

STEP 13

Add any revised or additional files provided by the Collection Coordinator to the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

Sometimes during the data entry process, the Online Access Specialist and the Data Entry Volunteer will come across a file for which there isn’t a Descriptive Information Form, or a Descriptive Information Form that doesn’t have a corresponding file. This problem is typically discovered while the Online Access Specialist is conducting a one-to-one match-up between the Production Copies and the Items listed in the Descriptive Information Spreadsheet

The following instructions outline the steps that should be taken if a Descriptive Information Form is missing for a particular Item, or if a production copy of an Item is missing.

Missing Descriptive Information Form

If there is a production copy that does not have an associated Item record in the Descriptive Information Spreadsheet, the Online Access Specialist will notify the Collection Coordinator. The Collection Coordinator (who has the original paper copies of the Descriptive Information Forms) will see if there’s a corresponding paper form. If there is no corresponding form, the Collection Coordinator will reach out to the Item’s Contributor to complete a form. 

Once a new form is completed, the Collection Coordinator will scan it and share a copy with the Digital Preservation Specialist, as well as with the Online Access Specialist. These new forms will need to be incorporated by the Digital Preservation Specialist into the archived Descriptive Information Forms PDF file in the preservation-copies-f0 folder on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

Missing Production Copy

If there is an Item record that doesn’t have an associated production copy, the Online Access Specialist will notify the Collection Coordinator who will need to reach out to the original Contributor to get a digital copy of the Item. 

When (and if) a digital file is provided by the Contributor, the Collection Coordinator will share that file with the Digital Preservation Specialist, who will in turn create both a preservation copy and a production copy of the file on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive. The production copy should be sent to the Online Access Specialist.

STEP 14

Add copies of the completed spreadsheets to the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

After the data entry work, review, and one-to-one match-up is complete, the Online Access Specialist will send the completed, final Event Registration and Permissions Spreadsheet and Descriptive Information Spreadsheet to the Digital Preservation Specialist.

The Digital Preservation Specialist will add these spreadsheets to the metadata folder on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive (in bold below).

Digital Preservation Hard Drive
  • event#-YYYYMMDD-event-name
    • items
      • preservation-copies-f0
        • all-items
      • production-copies-f1
    • metadata

STEP 15

Convert PDF files to PDF/A files in the all-items folder on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

If there are any PDF files in the all-items subfolder in your preservation-copies-f0 folder on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive, it may be necessary to open the PDF file(s) and save them again in the new PDF/A format. 

  • Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for using Adobe Acrobat Pro to save PDF files as PDF/A files.

STEP 16

Prepare to copy all your files from the Digital Preservation Hard Drive to your Digital Preservation Storage Platform(s).

Now that you’ve completed all the reformatting and editing work on both the preservation copies and the production copies of the files from your event, you can prepare the event#-YYYYMMDD-event-name folder for preservation and storage. 

Generate a final checksum for your event folder on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

Before you can copy your files from the Digital Preservation Hard Drive to your Digital Preservation Storage Platform(s), you will need to generate a checksum.  

In Step 5 of the Before the Event section of this module, we recommended installing MD5Summer software on the computer you will be using to carry out digital preservation activities. And you previously generated checksums when moving files from the Event Hard Drive to the Digital Preservation Hard Drive (this checksum is stored in the metadata subfolder in your event folder on the drive).

  • Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for using MD5Summer to generate a final checksum for all the files, forms, and spreadsheets from your event.

STEP 17

Copy event#-YYYYMMDD-event-name folder to your two designated Digital Preservation Storage Platforms.

Once you’ve run the checksum on the folder for your event on the Digital Preservation Hard Drive, you can add your digital collection to your two Digital Preservation Storage Platforms. 

The following Digital Preservation Storage Platform options were outlined in greater detail in Step 2 of the Before the Event section of this module.

Option 1: Use your existing Digital Preservation Storage Platforms(s) or program.

If you are using your existing Digital Preservation Storage Platforms(s) or program, follow the established processes for adding content to that platform.

Option 2: Use your new online digital repository platform.

If your new online digital repository platform (which was selected as part of the Putting the Collection Online module), follow the vendor- and/or platform-provided instructions for uploading files.

Option 3: Use your own institutional servers.

If you are able to collaborate with your institution’s Information Technology (IT) team to use institutional servers as one of your two Digital Preservation Storage Platforms, remember that you will also need to be sure to develop a digital stewardship plan related to the IT servers that includes regular reviews of content and files to make sure there is no file degradation. This is covered in more detail below in Step 18.

Option 4: Use the Digital Preservation Hard Drive.

If you are choosing to use the Digital Preservation Hard Drive as one of your storage platforms, make sure you store the drive in a secure location and that you register the Digital Preservation Hard Drive’s physical location so you don’t lose track of it. You will also need to be sure to develop a digital stewardship plan related to the Digital Preservation Hard Drive that includes regular reviews of content and files to make sure there is no file degradation. This is covered in more detail below in Step 18.

Option 5: Use a vendor-supported Digital Preservation Storage Platform.

If you are using a vendor-provided storage solution, follow the vendor- or platform-provided instructions for uploading files.

Option 6: Use a local, statewide, or regional storage platform if one is available to you.

If you are able to partner with a local, statewide, or regional partner to serve as one of your Digital Preservation Storage Platforms, you should work with them to copy the files from your Digital Preservation Hard Drive. You may also need to develop a digital stewardship plan related to your partner’s storage platform that includes regular reviews of content and files to make sure there is no file degradation. This is covered in more detail below in Step 18.

STEP 18

Create a digital stewardship plan for your digital collection.

Preserving digital items and files is different in a number of important ways from preserving physical items, such as paper collections or photographic prints. Effective digital preservation requires a certain amount of data redundancy. Again, one helpful acronym for thinking about the efficacy of data redundancy is the concept of “LOCKSS,” which stands for “lots of copies keep stuff safe.”

In addition to placing your digital collection in two separate Digital Preservation Storage Platforms, following digital preservation best practices means developing a digital stewardship plan for your collection. 

Simply storing files and data in a secure place isn’t enough to ensure they will be accessible over the long term, so we also recommend the following activities.

Develop a schedule for confirming that the checksum you generated for your collection is still accurate.

The RoPA Developers recommend carrying out digital stewardship activities related to your digital collection on an annual basis, if not more frequently (such as twice a year). You will need to determine who will be responsible for carrying out this work, and when. It’s helpful to add this to your calendar as a recurring appointment.

Perform scheduled fixity checks on your digital collection in both Digital Preservation Storage Platforms.

The Society of American Archivists defines “fixity” as “the property of being unchanged.” On an annual basis (or more frequently if possible, such as twice a year), you will want to perform a fixity check on your digital collection to make sure that the files and metadata you're preserving are “unchanged.” 

In Step 16 of this module, you generated a checksum for all the files, forms, and spreadsheets from your event. If you look at or download a copy of your digital collection from your Digital Preservation Storage Platforms, you should see a copy of that checksum in your event folder structure (in bold below). 

Digital Preservation Hard Drive
  • event#-YYYYMMDD-event-name
    • event#-YYYYMMDD-event-name-checksum.md5
    • items
      • preservation-copies-f0
        • all-items
      • production-copies-f1
    • metadata

Download a workflow (as MS Word or PDF document) for using MD5Summer to perform a fixity check on your digital collection.

Replace external hard drives and migrate content on a regular basis.

If you are using your Digital Preservation Hard Drive as one of your Digital Preservation Storage Platforms, you will need to replace the hard drive on a regular basis (every 3-5 years, ideally). This will require:

  • Purchasing and labeling a new hard drive;
  • Running a fixity check on the event folder on your Digital Preservation Hard Drive (as described above);
  • Using TeraCopy to copy your digital collection from the old hard drive to the replacement hard drive (similar to the process described in Step 4 on this module); and
  • Verifying that the files copied to the new drive were not damaged during transfer (also similar to the fixity check described above).

Make a plan to learn more about digital preservation best practices.

Effective digital preservation requires commitment, as practices and software tools are constantly developing. For these reasons, the RoPA Developers recommend engaging in ongoing professional development related to digital preservation.

There are a number of organizations that can help you learn more about digital preservation, and get more comfortable with different tools and workflows. To guide you in this work, review the Resources section of this module for information about Digital POWRR and the National Digital Stewardship Alliance.

Please contact us if there are other organizations and professional development resources and opportunities that the RoPA Developers should share.