A key piece of a digital project is to preserve the digital files that have been created. To accomplish this we require both a master file (e.g., tiffs for images, wav for audio, etc) and a derivative file(s) which we display to the user.
The Library uses two systems for preservation. Library IT works with both repositories to manage submissions.
- HathiTrust: bound volumes, like books, serials, and newspapers. MARC records requires and set with tiffs and OCR.
- Merritt: special collections, unbound items, audio and video formats. Selected metadata sent with individual files which may be tiffs, or zipped files.
Files that contain, or may contain, data classified as PL2 or above can not go to either preservation repository and remain on Library servers. Library servers are backed up and multiple file copies are retained both locally and offsite.