Analysis - Repeatability of Concepts

In some cases, metadata is repeatable, meaning the concept as expressed in the LAC Operational Standard on Digital Archival Records’ Metadata can have more than one distinct value that LAC would be interested in acquiring. For example, each item only has one piece of integrity information (e.g., checksum) at transfer; however, an item may be in more than one language and thus language can be repeatable. This guidance is being provided to ensure that all relevant metadata is identified and transferred to LAC. It provides useful information on the repeatability of concepts within the LAC Operational Standard.

In this analysis, repeatability is presented from the view of:

• One item
  • An item is the smallest conceptually indivisible archival unit or record that is complete in itself and can be distinguished from a group (e.g., JPEG, PDF, DOCX).
• One aggregation
  • An aggregation is a grouping of records (e.g., files, series) accumulated and organized to reflect the creator’s activities.
  • In the context of the Operational Standard, aggregation may also refer to the grouping of records transferred together at one time (i.e., a transfer).
• One transfer
  • A transfer is a grouping of records moved as part of their scheduled disposition in a single transaction from a government institution to LAC or another repository.
  • The change in custody and ownership of government records from a government institution to LAC occurs via the application of a valid disposition authority and transfer agreement by the transferring institution.

As discussed in the Operational Standard, Appendix C, different concepts can be:

• Mandatory: a metadata concept must be maintained throughout the record’s life cycle and at time of transfer
• Mandatory where present: if a metadata concept has been maintained throughout the record’s life cycle, then it must be provided at the time of transfer, but if it has not, then it does not need to be provided at the time of transfer.
• Mandatory at transfer: the metadata concept will be created (and transferred) at time of transfer
• Optional: a metadata concept can be provided if it exists and should be discussed with the assigned LAC archivist.

It should be noted that some concepts are applicable only to items, aggregations, or transfers, while other concepts are applicable at multiple levels (e.g., items as well as transfers).

It should also be noted that a digital record comprising more than one component is a “compound record.” Compound records are made up of multiple components (e.g., multimedia components of a web page; a digital document; data elements such as entries in a database).

The table below provides an explanation of the concepts and obligations, as well as an overview of their repeatability.

Note that the use of the term “file”’ as in “computer file” in the table is meant to represent a discrete collection of information for use on a computer that is treated as a single unit for storage (e.g., a JPEG, PDF, DOCX).

Required concept	Obligations	Repeatability	Comments
Classification code	Items: Mandatory where present	Yes	One or more classification codes can optionally be associated with an item. If present, the information is provided at the time of transfer.
	Aggregations: Mandatory	Yes	Aggregations are associated with at least one classification code.
	Transfers: N/A	N/A	Transfers typically consist of one or more aggregations. If one transfer consists of only one aggregation, the classification code would be provided at the aggregation.
Creator	Items: Mandatory where present	Yes	Not all creators of items are known. If known, the information must be provided at the time of transfer. Items may have more than one creator.
	Aggregations: Mandatory where present	Yes	Not all creators of aggregations are known. If known, the information must be provided at the time of transfer. Aggregations may have more than one creator.
	Transfers: Mandatory	Yes	At least one creator must be identified for a transfer (e.g., department or agency). Multiple creators may relate to a transfer in certain cases (e.g., Department B held custody of records originally created by Department A).
Date/time	Items: Mandatory	Yes	All items must have at least one associated date/time and may have more than one associated date/time (e.g., date of creation, date of last modification, date of movement from system).
	Aggregations: Mandatory where present	Yes	Aggregations optionally may have one or more associated dates/times. If so, the information must be provided at the time of transfer.
	Transfers: N/A		GC institutions do not need to provide date/time information for transfers (this information will be provided by the system).
Disposition authorization	Items: Optional	No	Disposition is usually done on aggregations. If a single item is transferred, the relevant disposition authorization must be identified.
	Aggregations: Mandatory where present	No	Aggregations should have only one associated disposition authorization. If so, the information must be provided at the time of transfer.
	Transfers: Mandatory	No	Transfers must be associated with one disposition authorization.
Extent	Items: Optional	No	One extent statement can optionally be provided for each item.
	Aggregations: Optional	No	One extent statement can optionally be provided for each aggregation.
	Transfers: Mandatory	No	Each transfer has one extent statement.
Format	Items: Mandatory	Yes	Each item has one format in cases where “item” is understood to mean “file” as in computer file, for example, a Word document or Excel spreadsheet. Each item can have more than one format in cases where “item” is understood to mean “compound record.”
	Aggregations: N/A	N/A	N/A
	Transfers: N/A	N/A	N/A
Integrity	Items: Mandatory at transfer	No	Each item has one piece of information (e.g., checksum) that ensures the integrity of the items during the transfer (i.e., what is being sent is what is received). Although producing checksums for aggregations and transfers is possible, integrity information for individual files is the most meaningful for archival management.
	Aggregations: N/A		Although producing checksums for aggregations is possible, integrity information for individual files is the most meaningful for archival management.
	Transfer: N/A		Although producing checksums for transfers is possible, integrity information for individual files is the most meaningful for archival management.
Language	Items: Mandatory where present	Yes	Items optionally may have one or more languages identified. If so, the information must be provided at the time of transfer.
	Aggregations: N/A	No	Language information is specific to individual items. Because a summary of language information for members of an aggregation would be redundant to information provided for each item, language information is not needed for aggregations.
	Transfer: N/A	No	Language information is specific to individual items. Because a summary of language information for members of a transfer would be redundant to information provided for each item, language information is not needed for transfers.
Record identifier	Items: Mandatory	Yes	Each item has one or more identifiers associated with it.
	Aggregations: Mandatory where present	Yes	Aggregations may have one or more identifiers associated. If so, this information must be provided at the time of transfer.
	Transfer: N/A	N/A	Unique identifiers do not have to be assigned by the transferring GC institution for transfers.
Rights management information	Items: Mandatory where present	Yes	Items may have one or more pieces of associated rights management information. If so, this information should be provided at the time of transfer.
	Aggregations: Mandatory	Yes	Aggregations have one or more pieces of associated rights management information.
	Transfer: Mandatory if present	Yes	Rights management information can optionally be provided for transfers. Transfers can have one or more pieces of rights management information.
Technical environment information	Items: Optional	Yes	One or more pieces of technical environment information can optionally be provided for each item.
	Aggregations: Mandatory	Yes	One or more pieces of technical environment information must be provided for aggregations.
	Transfers: Optional	Yes	One of more pieces of technical environment information can optionally be provided for each transfer.
Title	Items: Mandatory	Yes	Each item must have at least one title. Each item may have more than one title (e.g., parallel title, subtitle).
	Aggregations: Mandatory where present	Yes	Aggregations optionally may have one or more titles assigned. If so, this information must be provided at the time of transfer.
	Transfers: Optional	Yes	If present, GC institutions can provide titles for transfers.