The Florida Digital Archive and DAITSS: a working preservation repository based on format migration

Abstract

The Florida Digital Archive is a long-term digital preservation repository for the use of the libraries of the public universities of Florida. It is managed by the Florida Center for Library Automation (FCLA) and based on Dark Archive in the Sunshine State (DAITSS), repository software developed by FCLA with the aid of grant funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). DAITSS is designed to implement active preservation strategies based on format transformations including forward migration, normalization, and localization. As a case study, the Florida Digital Archive and DAITSS show that active preservation strategies can be incorporated into repository applications from the start, and that doing so affects all aspects of application design. The Florida Digital Archive has been in production since November 2005. The DAITSS application is nearing completion and will be released as open source software in 2006.