3.1.3 Collection Policy Copy URL
The repository shall have a Collection Policy or other document that specifies the type of information it will preserve, retain, manage, and provide access to.
This is necessary in order that the repository has guidance on acquisition of digital content it will preserve, retain, manage and provide access to.
Collection policy and supporting documents; Preservation Policy, mission, goals and vision of the repository.
The collection policy can be used to understand what the repository holds, what it does not hold, and why. The collection policy supports the broader mission of the repository. Without such a policy the repository is likely to collect in a haphazard manner, or store large amounts of low-value digital content. The collection policy helps the organization to identify what digital content it will and will not accept for ingestion. In an organization with a broader mission than preservation of digital content the collection policy helps to define the role of the repository within the larger organizational context.
- The APTrust Collection Strategy Policy version 2.0 (Approved by the Board in October 2021) establishes guidelines about the nature of digital content that may be placed in the APTrust repository.
- APTrust does not limit the kind of content that its members upload to the repository.
- The public APTrust website states that: “APTrust accepts all types of digital content from its member institutions, including but not limited to print, audio, video, and encrypted files.”
- No sensitive or personally identifying information (PII) is allowed unless such content has been encrypted by the depositing entity prior to deposit. Depositors put in content at their own risk.
- The APTrust Mission and Goals establishes the direction and aims of the repository, including the overarching commitment to the creation and management of a sustainable environment for the digital stewardship.
- The APTrust Core Preservation Policy version 2.0 (Approved by the Board in October 2021) outlines the core preservation activities that each depositor can expect to receive from APTrust, and details the parameters of responsibility over what is deposited in the repository. It states that “Depositors MUST deposit content at their own risk.