NDSA 2017 Fixity Survey
Katherine Kim Bethany Nowviskie Wayne Graham Becca Quon Carol Kussmann Winston Atkins Aliya Reich Matt Schultz Lauren Work
<p>EXECUTIVE SUMMARY<br><br>Fixity checking, or the practice of algorithmically reviewing digital content to insure that it<br>has not changed over time, is a complex but essential aspect in digital preservation<br>management. To date, there have been no broadly established best practices surrounding<br>fixity checking, perhaps largely due to the wide variety of digital preservation systems and<br>solutions employed by cultural heritage organizations. In an attempt to understand the<br>common practices that exist for fixity checking, as well as the challenges institutions face<br>when implementing a fixity check routine, the National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA)<br>Fixity Working Group developed and published a survey on fixity practices in fall of 2017. A<br>total of 164 survey responses were recorded, of which 89 completed surveys were used in<br>results analysis. Several themes emerged from the survey results:<br>&nbsp; &nbsp;● The vast majority of respondents are fixity checking their content or are planning to<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; do so.<br>&nbsp; &nbsp;● Fixity checking at specific times, such as to establish an initial baseline fixity value<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; after acquiring content and rechecking fixity values after data transfers, is<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; recognized as good practice.<br>&nbsp; &nbsp;● Fixity checking practices varied widely based on the organization, the amount of<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; resources (human and technical) available, the types of software and hardware<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; implemented, and the size of the data corpus to be preserved.</p>
<p><br>The most common challenges associated with implementing a fixity check routine appear<br>to be related to a lack of resources available to set up and maintain the infrastructure<br>necessary to run fixity checks.</p>
digital preservation fixity survey