Web Data Connected for Online Documents
New Digital Preservation Guidelines for Web Records Revealed
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has released updated guidelines for the preservation of web records, focusing on maintaining digital government records in formats that ensure long-term accessibility, authenticity, and legal compliance.
Under the Web Records Preservation Plan, digital records will be collected with metadata, timestamps, and digital signatures, and preserved in non-erasable formats such as WORM and WARC. These methods aim to provide a comprehensive and legally authentic record of web content, ensuring its integrity and non-repudiation.
Within the NARA Digital Preservation Framework, web records formats specifically include the WARC (Web ARChive) format and WORM (Write Once, Read Many) storage formats. WARC files preserve whole web pages and digital resources including images and metadata in their original source code, while WORM format ensures data cannot be altered or deleted.
Other digital file formats relevant to government archives, such as text, images, audio, video, geospatial data, and datasets, are not explicitly stated as part of the NARA framework. However, they are identified as important categories in Canada’s library framework, with preferred and acceptable transfer formats identified for long-term preservation.
In addition to the WARC and WORM formats, the NARA framework includes the following digital file formats:
- eXtensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML) versions 1.0 and 1.1, with NARA Format IDs NF00185 and NF00186 respectively.
- Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) versions 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, and an unspecified version, with NARA Format IDs NF00141, NF00543, NF00544, NF00875, and NF00651 respectively.
- Adobe AIR file, with NARA Format ID NF00705.
- Extensible Forms Description Language (XFDL), with NARA Format ID NF00686.
- CDX Internet Archive Index, with NARA Format ID NF00833.
These guidelines provide a comprehensive approach to digital preservation and government recordkeeping practices, ensuring the long-term accessibility and authenticity of web records for future generations.
[References] 1. National Archives and Records Administration. (2022). Web Records Preservation Plan. Retrieved from https://www.our website.gov/files/lod/dpframework/id/NF00185.ttl 2. National Archives and Records Administration. (2022). Cascading Style Sheets 2.0 TTL. Retrieved from https://www.our website.gov/files/lod/dpframework/id/NF00543.ttl 3. National Archives and Records Administration. (2022). Cascading Style Sheets 2.1 TTL. Retrieved from https://www.our website.gov/files/lod/dpframework/id/NF00544.ttl 4. National Archives and Records Administration. (2022). Cascading Style Sheets 2.2 TTL. Retrieved from https://www.our website.gov/files/lod/dpframework/id/NF00875.ttl 5. National Archives and Records Administration. (2022). Cascading Style Sheets unspecified version TTL. Retrieved from https://www.our website.gov/files/lod/dpframework/id/NF00651.ttl 6. National Archives and Records Administration. (2022). Adobe AIR file TTL. Retrieved from https://www.our website.gov/files/lod/dpframework/id/NF00705.ttl 7. National Archives and Records Administration. (2022). Extensible Forms Description Language (XFDL) TTL. Retrieved from https://www.our website.gov/files/lod/dpframework/id/NF00686.ttl 8. National Archives and Records Administration. (2022). CDX Internet Archive Index TTL. Retrieved from https://www.our website.gov/files/lod/dpframework/id/NF00833.ttl 9. Library and Archives Canada. (2021). Transfer Format Requirements for Long-Term Preservation. Retrieved from https://www.lac-bac.gc.ca/eng/services/preservation/transferformat/index.html
The new guidelines for web record preservation are based on data-and-cloud-computing technology, as they utilize formats like WORM and WARC for long-term storage and preservation of digital records in a legally authentic manner. The NARA framework supports various digital file formats, including XHTML, CSS, Adobe AIR, XFDL, and CDX Index, ensuring the long-term accessibility and authenticity of web records.
