[Watch Now, Q&A, and more] Invite your community to contribute digital materials to your archive

QUESTION 

ANSWER 

Where can I access the paper that talks about the importance of digital preservation for academic institutions? 

The link to the recently published CIO paper can be found here: Academic institutions are already losing information and may not realise it | CIO 

A webinar I attended recently suggested that updating formats is only available as an upgrade from Stater Plus.  Is that true? 

Upon ingest, Preservica will convert unreadable formats into a format that is readable. For example, if you ingest a Word Perfect file, Preservica will convert that into a PDF. Preservica currently supports over 2,000 file formats, so we can ingest the vast majority of your content and make it readable.  This preservation step is available in all versions of the software.   

Automatic preservation – a process of constantly rechecking the file and ensuring that it is readable over time is an ongoing process and is available in our Professional and Enterprise editions. 

How would you see Community Submissions working in a Middle School Library? 

I worked as a teen librarian with middle schoolers for a long time, and I think there are a lot of really interesting projects that could you run with middle schoolers.   You could use the Community Submissions feature to run an art contest, submit English papers and more.  You could also reach out to former alumni to collect their memories and memorabilia about the school as part of anniversary celebrations.  You could work with administrative staff and faculty to submit institutional records and more.  All of the materials you collect can be kept private or can be made publicly accessible.   

Does it support various types of music/audio files? 

Yes. Preservica supports over 2,000 different file formats. 

Does Preservica’s Community Submission invitation have the ability to link a Deed of Gift for the patron to sign? 

Preservica doesn't currently have a way to link a Deed of Gift for the submitter to sign.  Customers will need to email the Deed of Gift ahead of time so it can be filled out and attached as part of their submission.   

Is there a size limit for submitted items, especially via email? 

Generally, the limit for ingesting (due to browser constraints) is 4GB. The larger the file, the slower the upload time will be.  The free Preservica Starter account comes with 5GB, so if you upload a really large file, you would be maximizing your account with just one file.  So that’s also something to keep in mind. You can learn more about file upload limits here under ‘Getting Started.’ 

Is there a public-facing feature within Preservica, if community members would like to browse the archive? 

Yes.  Preservica Starter and Starter Plus customers have the option to publish a public-facing site so that the public can browse their archives.  Users have the opportunity to choose which items are made public and which items are kept private. Starter Plus users have the option to customize their portal to match the brand of their institution. 

How long does the Community Submission invitation stay valid? For example, if you have someone who has regular submissions would one invite work, or do they need a new one for each submission? 

Currently, the links are good for seven days.  

What is the best way to upload the metadata from external contributors? 

It depends on the project.  Preservica doesn't currently have a way to automatically attach metadata from the external submission to the record.  You can request that submitters send you a metadata file with the submission. From there it should be easy to copy and paste that information into the system manually.  The development team is investigating some automated metadata capture in the future.   

Where is the Deed of Gift or equivalent in the Preservica system? 

There is not currently a Deed of Gift built into the system.  If your organization doesn't already have a Deed of Gift form, there are lots of resources online that can show you an example.  If you have questions about where to find these types of resources, please feel free to contact me at Aubrey.shanahan@preservica.com. 

Can genealogy material be included in the process? 

Yes – Preservica customers can host genealogical materials in the platform and request those types of materials from the community.  We don't have a way to build a family tree, but if you have one that you’d like to include in the system, we can ingest and save it.  

Is there a way for the public to help with the transcription of materials? 

Customers have the option to share materials (for example handwritten content or AV content) to a public portal and ask the public to create a transcript of the document.  Those transcripts can then be submitted for ingest into the platform.  

How much does basic Preservica software cost--not hosting or other parts.  What's the pricing structure? 

Preservica Starter is Free for the first 5GB.  For more advanced versions of the platform, costs will depend on your needs and which edition will best support your program.   Additional details on Preservica features by edition can be found here - Cloud Hosted & Local Storage Digital Preservation… | Preservica.  For information on pricing, please contact Aubrey at Aubrey.shanahan@preservica.com. 

How easy is it to transfer current digital data from a service to your service? 

Migration from an existing system to Preservica can vary client-to-client depending on the system you are leaving and the complexity of your collections. The process will require you to first export the data and assets from your existing system.  Some customers choose to simplify and streamline their data before ingesting it into Preservica, but that work can also be completed in the platform. Once you have your content ready to ingest into Preservica, the process is fairly straightforward.  If you’d like to discuss your project, please reach out to me at Aubrey.shanahan@preservica.com.  

Does Preservica convert submitted audio or video files to archive preferred formats? 

The system does not automatically convert AV files to a preferred format automatically.  Customers have the option to select the preferred file format of their institution.  Preservica’s software will only perform automatic conversion to a readable format if the format you submitted is no longer renderable.   

Can Preservica send the ingests to us to store our own files and make them available ourselves?  For example, just use the ingest and fixity etc parts. 

No, as preservation info is stored within Starter. 

I am the lone archivist and not sure where to start when creating the terms and conditions and privacy policy for community submissions to my archive. Are there resources to help me draft these documents? 

Resources to help you draft terms and conditions and privacy policies can be found online. The Preservica team is also looking to provide training resources on this topic in the Community Hub in 2023.   

Do you have available a presentation for conducting oral history interviews? 

Preservica does not have a presentation about conducting oral history interviews available on the Community Hub but you can likely find tutorials online.  If you’d like to discuss your project, please contact me at Aubrey.shanahan@preservica.com.    

Does the software enable automated temporary embargoes of submissions?  For example, keeping files private for x number of years. 

Preservica does not embargo content automatically.  You can collate materials that need to be embargoed into a collection so that it is easier to keep track of content that can be published in certain timeframes.   

Can you transfer digital assets from an existing AWS bucket directly to a new Preservica AWS instance? We are implementing Cloud Professional at present.  

In theory yes, if you can connect the bucket to our holding area. But that would be an AWS process and nothing we can control. If you’d like to discuss your project, please contact me at Aubrey.shanahan@preservica.com.    

How long has Preservica been around? 

Preservica has been around for close to 20 years.  The company was started as a project with the National Archives in the UK. We helped them build a digital preservation tool for their archive. Once that was complete, we began to share that technology with others. Today we have offices in the UK and US and support over 3,000 international users. 

Do we need to convert formats for public use before ingesting? For example, if we upload TIFF images, would the end user view images in TIFF or could the files be converted to JPEG or JPEG2000? 

Access copies will automatically be created when assets are made public. There is currently no way to manually select the format for access copies in Starter Plus. 

I think you mentioned tracking provenance automatically. How is that information made accessible to users seeking to understand authenticity and reliability? 

Preservica does not track provenance automatically. The Community Submissions email trail helps you keep track of that kind of information. Those details can then be entered manually into a metadata field.  

Are there any metadata editing tools available in the platform?  For example- find and replace or spellcheck, etc.?  

The metadata tools in Starter and Starter Plus provide the basics of editing tools.  As you enter metadata into fields, a red squiggly line should tell you if there are spelling errors.   You also will have bulk metadata capabilities.  So, you can attach a full spreadsheet of metadata that has already gone through spell check.  Additional metadata editing tools come with more advanced versions of the platform.