48 Survey Results: Survey Questions and Responses
SUPPORT FOR PRESERVATION ACTIVITIES
Here are descriptions of nine data curation preservation activities.
Cease Data Curation: Plan for any contingencies that will ultimately terminate access to the data. For
example, providing tombstones or metadata records for data that have been deselected and removed
from stewardship.
Emulation: Provide legacy system configurations in modern equipment in order to ensure long-term
usability of data (e.g., arcade games emulated on modern web-browsers)
File Audit: Periodic review of the digital integrity of the data files and taking action when needed to
protect data from digital erosion (e.g., bitrot) and/or hardware failure.
Migration: Monitor and anticipate file format obsolescence and, as needed, transform obsolete file
formats to new formats as standards and use dictate.
Repository Certification: The technical and administrative capacities of the repository undergo review
through a transparent and well-documented process by a trusted third-party accreditation body (e.g.,
TRAC, or Data Seal of Approval).
Secure Storage: Data files are properly stored in a well-configured (in terms of hardware and
software) storage environment that is routinely backed-up and physically protected. Perform routine
fixity checks (to detect degradation or loss) and provide recovery services as needed.
Succession Planning: Planning for contingency, and/or escrow arrangements, in the case that the
repository (or other entity responsible) ceases to operate or the institution substantially changes
its scope.
Technology Monitoring and Refresh: Formal, periodic review and assessment to ensure
responsiveness to technological developments and evolving requirements of the digital infrastructure
and hardware storing the data.
Versioning: Provide mechanisms to ingest new versions of the data overtime that includes metadata
describing the version history and any changes made for each version.
33. Please indicate your institution’s level of support for these data curation preservation activities
on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1=currently providing 2=will provide in the near future 3=would like to
provide, but unable to at this time 4=no interest/desire to provide 5=unsure. N=48
Activity 1 2 3 4 5
Secure Storage 39 2 3 1 3
Technology Monitoring and Refresh 25 3 13 0 7
Versioning 24 3 17 0 4
File Audit 21 7 15 2 3
Migration 14 9 16 7 2
Succession Planning 14 6 18 3 6
Cease Data Curation 13 12 14 4 5
Repository Certification 3 6 24 5 10
Emulation 1 6 20 14 7
#of respondents 39 28 39 21 18
Comments N=7
All preservation activities take place at the host Dataverse instance.
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