5. Definitions
Access file
A digital version created for access and is not subject to the same preservation treatment as a master file. An access file may also be created from a digitised item or a born-digital item.
Authenticity
The digital material is what it purports to be, i.e. the trustworthiness of the electronic record as a record. In the case of born-digital and digitised items, it refers to the fact that whatever is being cited is the same as it was when it was first created unless the accompanying metadata indicates any changes. Confidence in the authenticity of digital materials over time is particularly crucial owing to the ease with which alterations can be made.
Born-digital item
Created and exists only in a digital format, for which there is no analogue equivalent.
Creator
Producer of an item that is collected: can be an author, government entity, website publisher etc.
Checksum
A string of numbers and letters that act as a fingerprint for a file against which later comparisons can be made to detect errors in the data, and to check files for integrity.
Derivative
A new file made from a master or submaster file.
Digital item
A broad term for a collection item that is stored as a computer file and requiring software to interpret.
Digitised item
Created as a digital copy of a non-digital item.
Digital preservation
Activities to maintain access to digital collection items through time that mitigates risks against media failure and technological change.
Digital repository
A secure digital storage system to prevent loss and allow access to and ongoing management of digital items through time. The digital repository can link to the collection management system and the access software.
Integrity
In the case of records, integrity is the quality of being accurate, complete and in original order. In terms of computing, integrity is the quality of being free of corruption (from broken links between segments), of errors from read or write operations, or of malicious tampering. Both definitions apply here.
Master file
The preservation master represents the highest-quality digital content the organisation intends to maintain for the long term. This digital file will retain all essential features of the original item, must not be altered or edited. The master file is not used for access in itself; access versions can be derivatives of the master file
Meaningful long-term access
Continued, ongoing usability of a digital resource retaining qualities of authenticity, accuracy and functionality for the purposes the item was created and/or acquired for – find it, open it, understand it, use it, and trust it.
Metadata
The data that describes significant aspects of the collection item to ensure essential contextual, historical and technical information is also preserved. The PREMIS Data Dictionary for Preservation Metadata has become the key de facto standard.
Physical carrier
Device on which the digital items are stored/transferred (e.g. CD, USB, hard drive). Carriers can suffer from obsolescence if the technology is no longer readily supported.
