CDL Guidelines for Digital Objects, Version 2.0: Draft Release
The CDL and Digital Library Services Advisory Group (DLSAG) are pleased to announce the release of the draft CDL Guidelines for Digital Objects, Version 2.0 (CDL GDO), available online in HTML and PDF format at <http://www.cdlib.org/inside/diglib/guidelines/>.
We welcome your feedback on the guidelines. To assist with the release, the Systemwide Operations and Planning Advisory Group (SOPAG) is also soliciting feedback from SOPAG All-Campus Groups and campus specialists. The CDL will assess comments received by January 15, 2006 for incorporation into the final version of the guidelines, slated for release in early 2006.
Updated URL 2011 Digital Special Collections (oacops@cdlib.org)
Digital materials of ever-increasing variety and complexity are seen to be worth collecting and preserving by memory organizations such as libraries, archives, and museums. Materials include objects converted into digital form from existing collections such as manuscripts, maps, visual images, and sound files, as well as “born digital” materials such as web sites.
In order for the CDL to provide effective preservation and access services, these materials need to be represented in a uniform manner. The CDL GDO provides specifications for all new digital objects prepared by institutions for submission to the CDL. It is based upon and supersedes the “CDL Digital Object Standard, Version 1.0” (May 2001) and the “OAC Best Practice Guidelines for Digital Objects, Version 1.1” (January 2004).
The CDL GDO includes the following primary changes:
- Establishes “sliding scale” requirements: the more points at which a digital object can be made to conform, the more preservation and access services can be provided for it.
- Provides specifications for preparing digital objects, comprising metadata and content files (e.g., digital images, text) packaged using the Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS) format.
- Includes updated recommendations for digital image files.