De - mystifying OAIS compliance : Benefits and challenges of mapping the OAIS reference model to the GESIS Data

Since its initial publication over a decade ago, the OAIS Reference Model, its concepts and terminology, have become essential to the digital preservation discourse. In this discourse, the topos – or myth – of “OAIS compliance” continues to play a central role as archives and repositories seek to demonstrate their fitness for the challenge of digital preservation. After briefly considering what OAIS is (and can be used for) and what it is not – namely, an abstract reference model, but not an architecture that can be implemented directly –, we will use the GESIS Data Archive for the Social Sciences as an example of mapping OAIS to an existing archive. We will then explore positive effects and benefits, as well as difficulties of completing this process. Thus, such a mapping can be taxing for an established archive: As most of the workflows have grown and proven their adequacy over a considerable period of time, taking a step back and viewing these processes from a new perspective is a challenge in itself3.