Glossary

An organization dedicated to preserving documentary heritage (e.g., letters, reports, accounts, minute books, draft and final manuscripts, and photographs) for future generations because these materials were deemed to have continuing value to creating agency and to understanding history. (Adapted from the Society of American Archivists.)

The presence of digital copies of files on different storage media to help mitigate the risk of losing digital files due to human error, hardware malfunctions, or natural disasters. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

The process of accepting multiple electronic content files and/or metadata into a digital repository, an institutional repository, or database at the same time, or put simply, uploading content. Most digital repository platforms allow for some form of batch uploading. Also called "ingesting." (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology and Wikimedia Commons.)

Information or objects originate in nondigital formats, and include objects like paper and physical photographs. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

Information or objects originate in a computer environment, and include objects that were created using a word processor or a digital camera. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

A unique value and way of analyzing and digital file or set of digital files. 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. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

Fundamental concept at the heart of public history in which a wide array of collaborators--including other public and academic historians, scholars from various disciplines, students in public history classes, museum professionals, archivists, librarians, architects, planners, governmental agency staff, corporate representatives, personnel of non-profits, members of neighborhood organizations, and a multitude of other publics--collaborate with one another to document, preserve, and interpret the past. (Adapted from The Inclusive Historian’s Handbook).

For RoPA, the organization that is ultimately responsible for hosting and preserving the online digital collection.

For RoPA, the assigned person responsible for processing the collection and putting it into a digital repository. Responsibilities of this coordinator include: leading the Collection Working Group, overseeing the collection aspects of the event day, processing the digital Items and data collected at the event, and creating the online digital collection. This person is also responsible for assigning the Welcome Station Captain, the Information Station Captain, and the Copying Station Captain.

A group of people with diverse characteristics who are linked by social ties, share common perspectives, and engage in joint action in geographical locations or settings.  (From the National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine What Is Community? An Evidence-Based Definition for Participatory Public Health.)

Documentation of a group of people that share common interests, and social, cultural and historical heritage, usually created independently by members of the group being documented and maintained outside of traditional archives. Community archives can be self-defined or self-identified, such as in cases of human rights abuse, and are usually initiated without professional oversight or sponsorship by institutional archives.  (Adapted from the Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

A process designed to expand and strengthen ties among community residents and to link them to supportive individuals, organizations, and resources to build social capital and address problems through development of partnerships and policies that promote community participation. A community engages in collective action with professionals for problem solving and enrichment resulting in new or strengthened social networks, capacities for group action and support, and standards and expectations for the life of the community. (Adapted from the Aspen Institute Final Report Contributions of Community Building to Achieving Improved Public Health Outcomes.)

For RoPA, the assigned person responsible for ensuring that community members are helping to drive the participatory archiving process. Responsibilities of this coordinator include: leading the Community Working Group, hosting the Collecting Stories meeting, helping recruit volunteers, conducting publicity and outreach, and ensuring the new collection is shared with the community.

The process of cultivating a two-way relationship with and through groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar situations to address issues affecting the wellbeing of those people. Community engagement can take many forms: mobilizing resources and influencing systems, changing relationships among partners, and serving as catalysts for changing policies, programs, and practices. Partners can include organized groups, agencies, institutions, or individuals.  (Adapted from the US Department of Health & Human Services and the Indiana Arts Commission.)

For RoPA, a designated area at your event where community organizations are invited to host displays and distribute information to participants about the event theme. The goals of community tables are to enhance the exchange of information at the event, to connect Contributors to organizations invested in their community’s history, and to share resources available for further research and education.

For RoPA, anyone who registers at the event and brings an Item to add to the collection.

For RoPA, the final place that Contributors will visit at the event to copy their Items. Copying Station Volunteers will create digital copies of Contributor’s Items to complete the process.

A property right that protects the interests of authors or other creators of works in tangible media (or the individual or organization to whom copyright has been assigned) by giving them the ability to control the reproduction, publication, adaptation, exhibition, or performance of their works. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

A format, often resembling a MS Excel file, for data output in which information is written as a continuous stream, with fields separated by special characters. CVS is an acronym for “comma-separated values.” CSV files are commonly used when batch uploading content to a digital repository or institutional repository. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

Ability to recognize the significance of culture in one’s own life and in the lives of others; the ability to learn, respect, and build on varying cultural and community norms, and to fully integrate the culture of diverse groups into services, work, and organizations in order to enhance the lives of both those being served by the organization and those engaged in service. (Adapted from National Education Association and Patricia Overall, Library Quarterly, 2009.)

The culture, values, and traditions belonging to a community’s past, present, and future. Cultural heritage includes tangible evidence of human creativity and expression (e.g., photographs, documents, books, paintings) as well as intangible elements (e.g., rituals, skills, traditions, oral histories). (Adapted from Khan Academy’s What Is Cultural Heritage?.)

Data redundancy helps to decrease the risk of losing digital files due to human error, hardware malfunctions, or natural disasters. A helpful acronym for thinking about the efficacy of data redundancy is the concept of “LOCKSS,” which stands for “lots of copies keep stuff safe.” (Adapted from the University of Michigan Library.)

A set of information crafted to identify and represent an archival resource or component; the process of creating information representing an archival resource or component. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

For RoPA, the paperwork required to accompany each Item to be added to the collection. The form captures information about the Item, including the Item creator, location, date, and significance of the Item to the Contributor.

An online media housed in cyberspace that presents and interprets content through contemplation, comprehension, discovery, and/or interaction. (Adapted from the American Perceptionalism blog.)

For RoPA, a hard drive that will serve as a place where the Digital Preservation Specialist can back up both preservation and production copies of files from the participatory archiving event. The Digital Preservation Hard Drive may also serve as one of two Digital Preservation Storage Platforms.

For RoPA, a digital repository or storage device used to manage digital objects and information over the long term. A digital repository encompasses a number of activities, including “institutional repository” (see definition) and “preservation repository.” Some repository platforms are able to effectively serve as both an online access repository (an institutional repository) and a preservation repository. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

For RoPA, also called an Online Access Platform. A virtual storage space, platform, or website with the entire technical infrastructure, support, and access services, for the long-term storage and management of digital objects and information. Some digital repository platforms are able to effectively serve as both an online access repository and a preservation repository. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

The careful and planned management of digital files over time to help ensure their long-term preservation and use. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

A digital copy of a record on any analog medium, such as paper or a physical photograph. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

A standard using 15 metadata elements to describe and provide access to online materials. The 15 core elements are: title, creator, subject, description, publisher, contributor, date, type, format, identifier, source, language, relation, coverage, and rights. The standard can expand beyond the core 15 elements. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

For RoPA, borrowing equipment, such as laptops, scanners, or projectors, from a business or organization to use for a specified purpose and amount of time for little to no cost. Some libraries have specific programs set up for this purpose, for example the Scan for Keeps program in Minnesota.

For RoPA, the assigned person responsible for the event-day logistics. Responsibilities of this coordinator include: leading the Event Working Group, securing the event location, creating the floor plan, assembling the required equipment and paperwork, feeding the Project Team, and ensuring things go smoothly on the event day.

For RoPA, the Event Email Address is used by Contributors who have Items they’re donating that are on their smartphone or smart device. The Event Email Address is created by the Digital Preservation Specialist and is used in the Workflow for Email Items (in the Copying Items module).

For RoPA, a hard drive used by the Digital Preservation Specialist on the day of the event to back up collected digital files from each Copying Station computer. The drive is also used after the event to share copies of collected digital files with the Online Access Specialist and the Data Entry Volunteer.

For RoPA, the paperwork required to register as a Contributor at a participatory archiving event. The forms grants the collecting organization non-exclusive permission to display the Contributor’s Items as part of the collection.

An element in copyright law that allows for limited use of copyrighted materials without permission of the rights holder for noncommercial teaching, research, scholarship, or news reporting purposes. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

The Society of American Archivists defines "fixity" as the "the property of being unchanged." For the purposes of digital preservation and digital stewardship specifically, "fixity" is a way of thinking of the integrity of digital objects over time. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

Equipment used to create digital images of photographs and documents that are placed on a stationary glass platen, or scanning bed. A scanner may be used to capture pictures or text. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

A diagram showing the placement of furniture and equipment for an event to harmonize seating, reduce choke points and long lines, encourage mingling, and allow Contributors to stay immersed in the moment.  (Adapted from Event Tech Group.)

Many digital repository platforms, and all of the platforms recommended by RoPA, support harvesting of content (digital objects and metadata) by other platforms and aggregators, including many statewide HUBS of the Digital Public Library of America. Harvesting employs the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (or OAI-PMH) framework. (Adapted from Open Archives Initiative and from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

A virtual storage space, platform, or website with the entire technical infrastructure, support, and access services, for the long-term storage and management of digital objects and information specifically designed and built by an organization in house. Homegrown repositories may or may not follow archival standards and best practices.

The measure of sharpness or detail in an image. Resolution quality depends on a number of factors, and is often measured using DPI (or Dots Per Inch). (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

Attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. These biases, which encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments, are activated involuntarily and without an individual’s awareness or intentional control. (Adapted from the Kirwan Institute at Ohio State University.)

A gift or loan of goods, services, or time given to an organization instead of cash donations. In-kind donations can be tangible items such as computers, meals, or furniture, or intangible services such as advertising or publishing support.

Involving people and their differences in the work and life of groups, organizations, communities and nations. Inclusion practices encompass: Assimilation: including people as members of an organization or other system and expecting them to adapt their appearance and behavior with the norms of the organization; Differentiation: bringing people into the organization to match the demographic characteristics of clients and markets; and Integration: including people in the work and life of the organization in a way that changes the work of the organization and how the organization does its work. (Adapted from David A. Thomas and Robin J. Ely, "Making Businesses Matter: A New Paradigm for Managing Diversity," Harvard Business Review, 1996.)

For RoPA, the second place that Contributors will visit at the event to share their stories about their Items. Information Station Volunteers will help Contributors choose their Items and complete a Descriptive Information Form for each Item being added to the collection. The Item section of the Item ID Number is assigned here.

A specific kind of digital repository that is used to manage and share digital objects and information. For RoPA, we use the term “digital repository” to encompass a number of activities, including “institutional repository” and “preservation repository” (see definition). Some repository platforms are able to effectively carry out a variety of activities, and to serve as both an online access repository (an institutional repository) and a preservation repository. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

For RoPA, any photograph, document, or material donated by a Contributor to be added to the collection.

For RoPA, the unique identifier number assigned to each Item in the collection that connects that Item to its corresponding Event Registration and Permission Form and Descriptive Information Form. The Item ID Number consists of three parts: a pre-assigned event number, followed by the Contributor’s event registration or nametag number, followed by the number of that particular item that the Descriptive Information Form describes (1, 2, 3, etc.).

The study of history in terms of a specific locational context below the national level, often concentrating on events that affected a local community, in order to understand how the way people lived connects to the community’s present and future. (Adapted from the Ohio Local History Alliance and the Campbell Museum.)

A principle related to data redundancy, which helps to decrease the risk of losing digital files due to human error, hardware malfunctions, or natural disasters. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

Metadata is commonly defined as “data about data.” Metadata is frequently used to locate or manage information resources by abstracting or classifying those resources or by capturing information not inherent in the resource. Typically metadata is organized into distinct categories and relies on conventions to establish the values for each category. For example, administrative metadata may include the date and source of acquisition, disposal date, and disposal method. Descriptive metadata may include information about the content and form of the materials. Preservation metadata may record activities to protect or extend the life of the resource, such as reformatting. Structural metadata may indicate the interrelationships between discrete information resources, such as page numbers. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

For RoPA, a series of webpages describing a specific aspect of participatory archiving. There are fourteen modules in RoPA that cover Getting Started, the Community, the Event, and the Collection.

A type of rights permission that allows the rights holder to grant the same permission to more than one party. For example, when a Contributor at a participatory archiving event grants the collecting organization non-exclusive permission to include their Items in the collection, that same Contributory (the rights holder) can also later grant that same permission to another party or organization. (Adapted from University of Michigan Library.)

A type of rights permission that allows people to use and adapt a work, but not for commercial purposes. (Adapted from University of Texas Libraries.)

For RoPA, the unique process by which Items are assigned an unique Item ID Number at stations during the event. The Item ID Number consists of three parts: a pre-assigned event number, followed by the Contributor’s event registration or nametag number, followed by the number of the particular item that the Descriptive Information Form describes (1, 2, 3, etc.).

For RoPA, also called a Digital Repository. A virtual storage space, platform, or website with the entire technical infrastructure, support, and access services, for the long-term storage and management of digital objects and information. Some digital repository platforms are able to effectively serve as both an online access repository and a preservation repository. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

Access to archival resources, including digital objects and information, that is not restricted unnecessarily. Open access as a term and a concept was initially applied to government documents and public records, and later to scholarly articles and research data in an effort to overcome financial and copyright barriers to accessing research and scholarship. (Adapted from SPARC and from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

Software and repositories distributed at no charge in an effort to encourage further refinement and development. Open source repositories, like all open source software, are developed and changed through collaboration by a range of experts, and are distributed without charge. Many digital repositories are built using open source software. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

A work that is under copyright, but the owner (or the rights holder) cannot be identified or located. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

A form of collaborative practice in which archivists, historians, and community members work together to document local and community histories and build unique archival collections. For a fuller explanation, please visit the What is Participatory Archiving? page.

Control over the use of materials based on a variety of rights. (From Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

A combination of media, objects, and display tools housed in a physical space, such as a museum, that presents and interprets content through contemplation, comprehension, discovery, and/or hands-on interaction. (Adapted from the American Perceptionalism blog.)

Relating to situations where archival records are maintained by the record creators with archivists providing management oversight. The term was devised in response to the growing demands of preserving electronic records, which necessitated a shift from the custodial tradition, where records are maintained by archives, to a model where records are retained by their creator with archives providing oversight and management functions. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

Versions of digital files that are unedited and stored at a high resolution over the long term. While they are used to make Production Copies, which may be created at a lower resolution and which may be edited, Preservation Copies are otherwise not accessed for daily use. By storing a Preservation Copy of your Items, you help to protect the informational content of the file from loss or decay. (Adapted from the National Archives and from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

For RoPA, also a possible Digital Preservation Storage Platform. A preservation repostiory is a specific kind of digital repository that is used to manage digital objects and information over the long term. A digital repository encompasses a number of activities, including “institutional repository” (see definition) and “preservation repository.” Some repository platforms are able to effectively serve as both an online access repository (an institutional repository) and a preservation repository. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

A brief, compelling statement written by a publicity or outreach person outlining the facts of a news story or event to be sent to targeted members of the media. The goal of a press release is to get the attention of a journalist, blogger, or writer. It needs to include the basics of who? what? where? when? how? and why? for the journalist to easily create their own story using information from the release. (Adapted from HowStuffWorks.)

Versions of digital files created from Preservation Copies to be used for day-to-day access. Production Copies may be edited (rotated and possibly cropped when appropriate). They are typically scaled down from the higher-quality Preservation Copies to a lower-quality, smaller versions, which in turn facilitates delivery online. By using Production Copies of your Items, you help to protect the informational content of the original file from loss or decay. Also called "Access Copies" or "Reproduction Copies." (Adapted from the National Archives and from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

For RoPA, the group of people, including staff members, community members, and volunteers, responsible for holding and running the participatory archiving event.

For RoPA, the institutions represented in the Project Team that are helping to hold and run the participatory archiving event. Often these are libraries, museums, historical societies, or cultural or community organizations.

Works that are unprotected by copyright or other intellectual property rights, including works that were never protected by copyright, works that were released to the public domain by their creators, and works for which copyright has expired. (Adapted from Dictionary of Archives Terminology, Society of American Archivists.)

A free or paid educational activity offered by a library, museum, historical society, or other cultural heritage organization for the visiting public, often as an enhancement to an exhibition or object on display. (Adapted from “Putting the ‘Public’ in Public Programs: An Inclusive Approach to Program Development in Museums.”)

Originally set forth by historian Michael Frisch in an article about oral history several decades ago, sharing authority involves a consideration of perspectives of all stakeholders and collaborators, not just trained professionals. By incorporating the viewpoints of everyone with an interest in a subject--in addition to the expertise of scholars--we can create a more inclusive understanding of the past.  (Adapted from Michael H. Frisch A Shared Authority:  Essays on the Craft and Meaning of Oral and Public History. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1990.)

A collective term for interactions of users and the platforms where they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual networks and communities. Social media platforms include: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Reddit, and TikTok. (Adapted from Tufts University Relations.)

A series of coordinated activities using a single or multiple social media platforms designed to reinforce information or achieve a specific goal over a set period of time. (Adapted from Hootsuite.)

A documented policy outlining a procedure for requesting that items, most often photographs, be removed from a website, online digital repository, or institutional repository.

For RoPA, the first place that Contributors will visit at the event to register. Welcome Station Volunteers will welcome Contributors, orient them to the event, and help them complete an Event Registration and Permission Form. The Contributor section of the Item ID Number is assigned here.

Actions taken by an organization to motivate people to share the organization’s products, services, or brand with their friends and family. Word of mouth marketing can also mean the actions of those who share their experiences with a product, service, or brand and then recommend them to others. (Adapted from Referral Rock.)