​Glossary

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• Access Copy: A copy of a record or file made available for user access, protecting the original or master version.

• Acid-Free: Paper or storage materials that are chemically stable and will not deteriorate or cause deterioration over time.

• Archival Appraisal: The process of determining the value and disposition of records based on legal, administrative, fiscal, and historical significance.

• Archival Description: Information used to identify and explain the context and content of archival materials, often in finding aids or metadata records.

• Archival Storage: Conditions and materials used to house physical or digital items to ensure long-term preservation, including boxes, folders, servers, and storage environments.

• Archives: Materials created or received by an individual or institution in the course of legal or administrative activities, preserved for their long-term value.

• Authenticity: The quality of being genuine or original, particularly important in digital and legal records to establish evidentiary reliability.

• Backup: A copy of digital data made to protect against data loss, which is distinct from but complementary to long-term preservation strategies.

• Born-Digital: Materials that originated in digital form (e.g., court transcripts typed directly into a word processor).

• Bit-level Preservation: Ensuring the integrity and readability of digital files over time without necessarily preserving their functionality or look and feel.

• Chain of Custody: Documentation or tracking that shows the control, transfer, and preservation of records, critical for evidentiary use.

• Checksum: A digital fingerprint or hash value used to detect changes in digital files.

• Collection Policy: A guiding document that defines the scope, priorities, and procedures for acquiring and managing archival or legal collections.

• Conservation: Physical treatment or repair of individual items to stabilize and protect them.

• Data Integrity: The accuracy and consistency of data over its lifecycle, ensured by validation tools like checksums and audits.

• Deaccessioning: The formal removal of materials from an archive or collection, guided by institutional policy and ethical considerations.

• Digital Curation: Active management of digital assets through their lifecycle, including selection, preservation, and access.

• Digital Forensics: The application of forensic methods to recover, authenticate, and preserve digital materials, often used in legal and archival contexts.

• Digitization: The process of converting physical documents into digital format, often with the goal of enhancing access and long-term preservation.

• Disaster Preparedness: Planning for the protection and recovery of legal information in the event of natural or human-made disasters.

• Disaster Recovery Plan: A documented strategy outlining how to respond to and recover from damage to collections or data.

• Emulation: Preserving digital access by recreating original software environments.

• Environmental Monitoring: Tracking temperature, humidity, light, and other conditions to protect physical legal records from deterioration.

• Ephemeral Records: Records of short-term value, not intended for long-term retention or preservation.

• File Format Sustainability: The likelihood that a digital format will remain accessible over time, influenced by openness, documentation, and adoption.

• Finding Aid: A tool that describes the content, context, and structure of an archival collection to aid discovery and use.

• Fixity: The quality of being unchanged; in digital preservation, verified using checksums to ensure files are not altered or corrupted.

• Format Migration: The act of transferring digital files to newer formats to avoid obsolescence and maintain usability.

• Metadata: Data that provides information about other data; in legal collections, this includes title, creator, date, jurisdiction, etc.

• Migration: Transferring digital files from one format or system to another to maintain accessibility over time.

• Obsolescence: When technology (software, hardware, or formats) becomes outdated and unsupported, risking loss of access.

• Original Order: The organization and sequence of records as established by the creator; preserved to retain context and evidentiary value.

• Preservation: Actions taken to stabilize and protect materials from physical or digital deterioration, ensuring ongoing access.

• Preservation Assessment: A formal evaluation of the condition and preservation needs of a collection, often the first step in planning.

• Preservation Metadata: Information that documents preservation actions taken and the technical environment of digital objects, supporting long-term access.

• Provenance: The origin or source of archival materials; in archives, it means maintaining records according to the office or individual that created them.

• Reformatting: Creating a copy of a record in another format (e.g., digitization, microfilming) for preservation or access purposes.

• Retention Schedule: A policy document that outlines how long various types of legal or institutional records should be kept and when they may be destroyed or archived.

• Rights Management: Addressing legal and ethical issues concerning ownership, access, and use of archival and legal records.

• Standards Compliance: Adhering to recognized best practices, technical specifications, and metadata standards for archival and digital preservation (e.g., OAIS, METS, PREMIS).

• Surrogate: A substitute copy (usually digital or microfilm) made to protect original materials from handling or to improve accessibility.

• Sustainability Plan: A documented approach to ensuring the long-term viability of a preservation program or digital repository.

• Trusted Digital Repository (TDR): A repository that meets standards for long-term digital preservation and accessibility, such as ISO 16363.

• Use Copy: A version of a document or file designated for public or staff use, allowing the preservation copy to remain untouched.