Qiwi: Building a New Open Source App for Archivists

Ethan Gates, Yale University Library

At BUF 2021, I presented a lightning talk on potential archival and curation uses for QEMU, an open source emulator. As a follow up, I will present Qiwi (https://gitlab.com/eg-tech/qiwi), a graphical Python application I am developing that builds on top of QEMU, with the explicit goal of easing the use of QEMU in archival appraisal.

While I will briefly demo the current state of Qiwi’s functionality, I will also use this talk to consider concerns of labor and sustainability in open source development from my new (and inexperienced) perspective of solo developer/maintainer on an application. Can Qiwi avoid becoming Yet Another DigiPres Tool reliant on a single enthusiastic but overwhelmed individual? How far can (or should) I take an attempt at professional and personal growth that straddles the line of my day-to-day duties?

Links shared in the chat:

• Brunnhilde GUI: https://github.com/tw4l/brunnhilde-gui
• diskimgr/omimgr/tapeimgr: https://github.com/KBNLresearch/diskimgr
• YES Creator: https://github.com/decirella/yes_creator
• Gooey: https://github.com/chriskiehl/Gooey
• Uncurled: https://un.curl.dev/project/we
• Qiwi: https://gitlab.com/EG-tech/qiwi – ethan.gates@yale.edu

Integrating archival forensics with digital archiving workflows

Leo Konstantelos, Emma Yan, and Clare Paterson, University of Glasgow

This presentation will introduce attendees to the University of Glasgow’s digital archiving workflow, which formalises digital archiving activities, and incorporates digital preservation and archival forensics requirements. To maximise the potential of our newly established archival forensics lab – a facility operating within the hospice of the Archives & Special Collections (ASC) unit at the University, we have recently extended the digital archiving workflow to incorporate forensics-specific considerations, processes and functions. The presentation will focus on our decision-making and actions to update archival policies and procedures, including quarantining for storage media acquisitions; creating donor agreements that take into account forensic processing of digital records; and managing the energy footprint of large-scale forensics. We will conclude with an account of how the advent of the archival forensics lab – and its setup, from negotiating the necessary resources to procurement – has created opportunities for ASC; but also how it is challenging long-established archival processes and perceptions at the University.

Links shared in the chat:

• University of Glasgow digital archiving workflow: https://bit.ly/3HK6qhk
• University of Glasgow Digital Preservation Policy: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/it/policy/digitalpreservation/policy/
• Archives & Special Collections Development Policy: http://bit.ly/3n14BGg
• A. Brown (2008). “Care, Handling and Storage of Removable media”: https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/removable-media-care.pdf
• NAA (2002). “Standard for the Physical Storage of Commonwealth Records”: https://www.naa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-09/standard-for-the-physical-storage-of-commonwealth-records_1.pdf