Archiving Archaeology: Introducing The Guides To Good Practice

This paper looks at some of the domain specific preservation challenges faced by the Archaeology Data Service and how we work with these in order to maximise the re-use potential of the data that we archive. It looks in particular at one of the mandatory responsibilities of an Open Archival Information System (OAIS) and how we try to ensure that the data that we present to our designated community is ‘independently understandable’. The paper introduces the collaborative ‘Guides to Good Practice’ project which aims to provide data producers with the guidance that they need in order to create data that is well documented and thus suitable for archiving and re-use. This Mellon Foundation funded project carried out in association with Digital Antiquity in the United States is now in its final stages and includes comprehensive and practical advice for data creators plus a number of case studies which demonstrate the real practical application of the Guides.