Institutional Repository Archiving

The DDP for Institutional Repository Archiving was designed to facilitate communication between two different kinds of DH workers; project leaders (researchers) who initiate digital project-work, and information scientists (cataloguers) who catalog the material created. The DDP is a set of best practices to facilitate this exchange, with the understanding that each institution will have its own set of norms to which this information must conform. If researchers would like to catalogue their project with their institution, they should consult with cataloguers at the earliest possible moment to profit from cataloguers knowledge of institutional practice.

As currently designed, the DDP requires some back-and-forth between the two parties.  Researchers should understand that two response-sets of the archiving wizard (Parts 1 and 2) are required to complete the process.

Although cataloguers will have their own practices that conform to their institutional culture and training, a sample workflow (detailed) is as follows. How closely this is followed will depend on the resources available at individual institutions. (The set of instructions Click-by-click instructions will explain how to use Cognito forms to complete each numbered step below).

  1. The researcher initiates the DDP by filling out Part 1 of the appropriate Archiving Wizard, either for Active or Inactive projects. Once the researcher has completed Part 1  his/her responses are sent to the cataloguer.

  2. The cataloguer reviews the Part 1 submissions. If the cataloguer needs more information, he or she contacts the researcher for clarification. If the project team was unable to do so, the cataloguer might advise the project team on how to create a web-recording (WARC) and/or a site map (PDF) of the project at this time, or may create it themselves.

  3. Once the information is complete, the cataloguer enters form responses into a digital repository to create a Catalog Record and a Persistent Identifier.

  4. Using the following template as a guide the cataloguer creates the first draft of the Archiving Dossier Narrative. The cataloguer enters the URLs or DOIs of each of the newly-created Catalog Record and Persistent Identifier into the top two lines of the Archiving Dossier Narrative.

  5. The cataloguer sends the following newly-created products to the researcher: 1. the DOIs or URLs of the Persistent Identifier and Catalogue Record, 2. a project site map, 3. a project web recording, and 4. the first draft of the Archiving Dossier Narrative.

  6. The researcher reviews the newly-created documentary products sent by the cataloguer. He or she pays particular attention to the first draft of the Archiving Dossier Narrative and makes necessary changes. Once all changes have been made, the researcher uses Part 2 of the Archiving Wizard to submit final versions of all of the documentary products, including the Archiving Dossier Narrative, to the cataloguer.

  7. Using Part 2 of the Archiving Wizard, the cataloguer uploads the final versions of the project’s documentary products to the Persistent Identifier to complete the DDP, and informs the researcher that the cataloguing is finalized.