The following is a list of software and tools that the Library utilizes in order to assist in the preservation of its digital assets.

• JHove

  JHOVE (pronounced "jove"), the JSTOR/Harvard Object Validation Environment, is an extensible software framework for performing format identification, validation, and characterization of digital objects.

• DROID

  DROID (Digital Record Object Identification) is a software tool developed by The National Archives to perform automated batch identification of file formats. DROID is designed to meet the fundamental requirement of any digital repository to be able to identify the precise format of all stored digital objects, and to link that identification to a central registry of technical information about that format and its dependencies.

• PRONOM

  PRONOM is an online registry of technical information. It provides impartial and definitive information about the file formats, software products and other technical components required to support long-term access to electronic records and other digital objects of cultural, historical or business value.

• MediaInfo

  MediaInfo supplies technical and tag information about a video or audio file.

• md5sum

  md5sum is a computer program that calculates and verifies 128-bit MD5 hashes, as described in RFC 1321. The MD5 hash (or checksum) functions as a compact digital fingerprint of a file. Because almost any change to a file will cause its MD5 hash to also change, the MD5 hash is commonly used to verify the integrity of files (i.e., to verify that a file has not changed as a result of file transfer, disk error, etc.).

• Linux ‘file’ command

  This is a standard Unix program for determining the type of data contained in a computer file. There are three sets of tests, performed in this order: filesystem tests, magic number tests, and language tests. The first test that succeeds causes the file type to be printed.

Digitisation Workflow system

The Digitisation workflow system is a workflow management software solution accessible over an intranet which was developed by the Centre for Advanced Software and Intelligent Systems [CASIS] in order to monitor the progress of tasks and items in the workflow and therefore improve the efficiency and quality of the digitisation process. It is based on a breakdown of digitisation processes within the Library and is structured following a document by the Library of Congress entitled Steps in the Digitization Process.