Down the Rabbit Hole: Data Normalization, Migrations and Access within a Digital Preservation Framework

A presentation to the Digital Library Federation (DLF) in Milwaukee, WI on November 7, 2016 that addresses data wrangling efforts, the creation of workflows, and the challenges encountered while preparing resources for migration. A review of the de-duplication efforts, development of a collection assessment tool and its implementation, and techniques to transform, normalizes, and link metadata to the accompanying digital resources will be discussed.

MOMMMA: Master Objects Migration and Metadata Mapping Activity—A Presentation to CPN-DAM, a virtual conference of the Central Plains Network for Digital Asset Management on November 17, 2016.

So you’ve got nearly 2 million digital files from 8 collecting units with minimum, scattered or unknown metadata—how do you prepare to migrate those objects into a digital preservation repository that acts as a “light archive” providing access to your digital collections? This presentation will delve into data wrangling efforts, the creation of workflows, and the challenges encountered while preparing digital resources for migration from a limited access FTP server into a preservation environment created in FEDORA, layered with Hydra heads for access and other functional requirements. We will discuss project planning, the de-duplication efforts, development of a collection assessment tool and its implementation that allows us to prioritize migration efforts, as well as techniques used to transform, normalize, restructure, and link metadata to the accompanying digital resources.