Elements of a Preservation Plan
Introduction – Introduce your preservation plan and goals in creating it.
Description – Write a basic description of the media object. What it is and how is it used?
Context & Historical Information – Document background and history information to contextualize the object
Creator's Intent – If possible, seek out descriptions of the creator's intent. This might include interviews the artist, developer or creator of the media object to determine the intention behind its creation, functionality, and presentation. Gather any secondary source information and/or make determinations based on your understanding of the object.
User Experience & Behavior – Describe the user experience. How do users interact with or observe the media object? Detail any behaviors or dynamic operations (clicks, roll-overs, etc.) of the object that impact presentation. Consider whether expectations of current users align with interactive conventions of your object.
Computing Environment – Document the original (or recommended) computing environment/platform. Include information about what software and hardware were originally recommended for use with your object.
* File Analysis & Forensics – Document relevant file identification and validation/conformance information, including which formats are present and their technical specifications. Include disk usage/data size reports. Perform conformance/validation checks and describe your findings. Report any information gleaned from forensic analysis.
Relationships & Dependencies – Document any relationships and/or dependencies required for the object to function, including any applicable versioning information for associated hardware and software. Please note whether software installers or dependencies are available for your object, as well as any versioning information.
*Disk Imaging (if applicable) – If a forensic disk image does not yet exist, create one and document the process you used to create the image.
*Render Method: Emulation and/or Legacy Hardware – If you created an emulated version of the object, document your process.
Renderability – Once you are able to view the media object using emulation and/or legacy hardware/software, describe the experience and degree of success. If you viewed the media object using both rendering methods (emulation and legacy hardware/software), compare them.
*Preservation Packaging – Create a preservation package for any data associated with your object. Describe the package and its contents (file index/manifest, fixity checks, file format analysis, file transfer logs, etc.). Feel free to use the BagIt packaging format if appropriate.
Physical Preservation – Make recommendations for physical preservation of each part of your object and provide condition information.
Challenges & Recommendations – Create an account of your experience rendering your object, list challenges you faced, and create a list of recommendations for successful playback based on your experience. What is the optimal rendering setup for this object?
Conclusion – What are some general takeaways from this exercise? What is your impression of degree of future success in viewing and interacting with this media object?