Long-term preservation planning was the topic of a dedicated session offered during February to representatives from the ten repositories selected to receive assistance in achieving CoreTrustSeal certification,
As reported in the notes to the November workshop with the same group, long-term preservation planning emerged as an issue during the the self-assessment process. To assist repositories in this regard, the session articulated around a preservation policy planning worksheet created by the FAIRsFAIR team and shared with particpants prior to the workshop.
To kick off the discussion, speakers Ilona von Stein (DANS) and Herve L’Hours (UK Data Archive) described the preservation policies of their own organisations - see slides. Both during the presentations and afterwards, participants, many of whom are just starting to develop preservation policies for their organisations, had ample opportunities to ask questions and share their experiences.
Participants cited funding, the scope of data collection, and meeting the specific needs of designated communities as the key challenges in preservation policy development. Some also said they struggle to link CoreTrustSeal evidence expectations to current documentation for day-to-day work.
To meet these challenges, they said, building support at senior management level and formalising the process are fundamental. As well as developing in-house expertise or hiring experts in the area of preservation policies, they highlighted the importance of planning ahead and learning from other relevant initiatives.
In early spring 2021, the participating repositories will submit their final applications to the CoreTrustSeal Board, marking an important milestone in the journey towards becoming trustworthy digital repositories. The applications will be peer-reviewed by qualified members of the CoreTrustSeal Assembly of Reviewers. Until the outcomes of the application process are known, the FAIRsFAIR certification support team will be standing by ready to help and advise.
Meet the repositories receiving FAIRsFAIR support in achieving CoreTrustSeal certification
Read the full story of how FAIRsFAIR supports candidate repositories
For more information about the workshop, please contact Linas Cepinskas (linas.cepinskas@dans.knaw.nl) and/or Ilona von Stein (ilona.von.stein@dans.knaw.nl).