[PADG:1423] DIGITAL ARCHIVE OF WEB DOCUMENTS

["Howard,Carmen" <howardc@xxxxxxxx>]

Apologies for cross-posting.

Carmen Howard
Manager, Preservation Services
Preservation Resources
A division of OCLC

______________________________
OCLC COLLABORATES TO DEVELOP DIGITAL ARCHIVE OF WEB DOCUMENTS 

DUBLIN, Ohio, July 17, 2001-OCLC, with input from several organizations, is
developing a digital archive to track and preserve web-based documents that
exist solely in electronic format.  The goal of the Web Document Digital
Archive project is to create a sustainable service to provide long-term
access to web documents.  The service will fill libraries' basic needs for
identification, selection, capture, description, preservation, and access to
documents that would not be accessible in the future otherwise.

OCLC is seeking direct input on the project from a variety of institutions
already focused on the issue: The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO); The
Connecticut State Library; and the Joint Electronic Records Repository
Initiative (JERRI), a partnership of the State Library of Ohio, the Ohio
Historical Society's State Archives, the Ohio Supercomputer Center and the
Ohio Department of Administrative Services.

"Participants will be collaborating with OCLC on system user requirements,
evaluating working prototypes through 'hands-on' experience, and developing
policies and practices for long-term retention in concert with current best
practices established through other digital archive projects
internationally," said Taylor Surface, director of OCLC Content Management
Services.  "Long-term retention and access to documents published on the
World Wide Web have universal appeal to libraries and people seeking the
information in them."

This pilot will be tested in several phases during the next 18 months using
the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) model to develop a working
digital archive.  Building on this soon-to-be international standard, the
Web Document Digital Archive will provide a unique integration of workflow
to assist library staff in management of these electronic-only publications.
OAIS defines the framework of functions and features of a basic digital
archive.
"GPO is excited to be part of OCLC's Web Document Digital Archive project to
develop a system to provide the same stability of access to digital
publications that can be achieved with print publications," said Gil
Baldwin, director of the Library Program Service, GPO.  "I believe that this
metadata and archiving toolkit will help GPO further its mission to provide
permanent public access to the electronic government resources in the
Federal Depository Library Program."

"State government information nowadays is published predominantly, in some
cases exclusively, on the web," said Stephen Slovasky, bibliographic
services head, Connecticut State Library.  "We intend, through the Digital
Archive, to capture, preserve, provide access to, and manage the usage
rights of electronic state documents.  The Connecticut State Library is
pleased to collaborate with OCLC, GPO and the Ohio JERRI group on developing
this important service."
 
"The JERRI partners have spent considerable time and energy investigating
ways to identify, capture and permanently store web publications of enduring
historical value created by State of Ohio government agencies," said Jim
Buchman, head of public services, State Library of Ohio.  "To date we have
found no off-the-shelf solution to satisfy our requirements.  The JERRI
partners are quite pleased that OCLC is now developing such a solution."

Work on the Web Document Digital Archive project will be informed by the
developments of the Preservation Metadata working group convened by OCLC and
RLG.  The working group has published an initial white paper of current best
practices at <http://www.oclc.org/digitalpreservation>.

"Goals of the project coincide with OCLC's global strategy, which includes
establishing metadata, digital collection and preservation management, and
providing web-based services for contribution, discovery, exchange, delivery
and presentation," said Meg Bellinger, president of OCLC Preservation
Resources.

The project is part of OCLC's global strategy and the development of Digital
Collections Management & Preservation services.  

The Government Printing Office catalogs items distributed through the
federal depository program into WorldCat.  GPO makes government publications
in all formats freely accessible to the public through more than 1,300
federal depository libraries throughout the United States.  Online and print
publications cataloged and disseminated by GPO provide information of
current and enduring interest on a broad assortment of topics, including
congressional documents, federal research, business, science, technology,
statistical data, law, medicine and federal regulations.  

The Connecticut State Library is the principal library for all branches of
state government.  It provides reference services and specialized
collections in law and legislation; public administration and policy; state,
federal and local government; Connecticut history and genealogy; newspapers;
and archives in support of its mission "to provide high-quality library and
information services to state government and the citizens of Connecticut,"
and "to preserve and make accessible the records of Connecticut's history
and heritage."  

The Joint Electronic Records Repository is a collaborative partnership of
the Technology Policy Group of the Ohio Supercomputer Center, the Ohio
Historical Society's State Archives, the State Library of Ohio, and the Ohio
Department of Administrative Services.  Its purpose is to find ways to
appraise, preserve and provide access to Ohio's electronic and e-commerce
records of enduring historical value, and to position Ohio as a leader in
archiving electronic records and publications.  Currently, the group is in
the planning stage of a pilot electronic records long-term storage and
retrieval program for state records.

Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a
nonprofit organization that provides computer-based cataloging, reference,
resource sharing and preservation services to 39,000 libraries in 76
countries and territories.  OCLC was founded in 1967 to improve access to
the world's information and reduce information costs, and conducts ongoing
research to develop technologies to support that mission.  Forest Press, a
division of OCLC since 1988, publishes the Dewey Decimal Classification
system.
Dewey, Dewey Decimal Classification, Forest Press, OCLC and WorldCat are
registered trademarks of OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Incorporated.
Preservation Resources is a trademark of OCLC Online Computer Library
Center, Incorporated.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Nita Dean +1-614-761-5002
nita_dean@xxxxxxxx