This course introduces to the basic concepts and principles of preservation. It focuses on both preservation of conventional material and digital preservation.

The course presents the objectives of preservation and the general principles and policies of preservation for each type of material. Emphasis is given on the preservation of paper since the majority of the library and archives material is on a paper underlay. Furthermore, the main challenges of digital resources are discussed and the OAIS model is presented analytically along with its data model. Finally the main requirements for preservation metadata are discussed, while the PREMIS metadata schema is explained in depth.

This course aims to provide a complete and in-depth knowledge of the basic principles of preserving conventional and digital material. The main objective is the student to acquire knowledge regarding preservation policies and best practices used by archives and libraries. Moreover, the course presents analytically the PREMIS metadata schema for digital preservation.

Week #1: Definitions of preservation. The need for preservation policies.

Week #2: Preservation prinicples. Long term accessibility.

Week #3: Preservation policies for conventional material (paper, images).

Week #4: Preservation policies for conventional material (paper, images).

Week #5: Introduction to digital preservation. Challenges.

Week #6: Main preservation approaches:Migration and Emulation.

Week #7: E-records access and security. 

Week #8: The OAIS reference model.

Week #9: The workflows of OAIS model.

Week #10: The data model of OAIS.

Week #11: Digital preservation metadata.

Week #12: Digital preservation metadata – The PREMIS schema.

Week #13: Digital preservation metadata – The PREMIS schema.

• Elis Keeping Archives (Greek translation), 2000.
• Deegan, M., & Tanner, M. (Eds.). (2006). Digital preservation. Facet publishing.
• (2008). An Introduction to Digital Preservation, Cultural Heritage.
• OAIS Reference Model (ISO 14721), http://www.oais.info/
• (2005). Data Dictionary for Preservation Metadata: Final Report of the PREMIS Working Group.
• OCLC, & RLG. (2005). Use of the Data Dictionary: PREMIS Examples.

Lectures making extensive use of visual aids.

-

Written examination.