OAIS as a reference model for repositories : an evaluation

The purpose of this document is to evaluate "whether OAIS is an appropriate reference model for use across the variety of repositories being developed within the JISC community" (Campbell 2005, p. 11). It follows on from discussions at the repositories strand of the JISC-CETIS Conference 2005 and the CETIS Metadata and Repositories SIG meeting held subsequently in March 2006. The Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS) has proved an extremely useful model in relation to 'archival systems’. This evaluation will consider the benefits and drawbacks of applying the OAIS across repositories in a more generic way, with reference to longterm preservation as outlined in the model, and, in addition, considering the model with reference to the other business requirements that a repository might fulfil. This evaluation is being carried out in the context of the JISC Digital Repositories Programme and will focus largely on repositories that serve the communities and domains covered by that Programme, although its conclusions should have wider relevance. It is not the intention of this evaluation to provide a detailed introduction to OAIS, but to draw on previous work in this area.