Digital Repository Audit Method Based on Risk Assessment (DRAMBORA) 
toolkit: online interactive version released & auditor’s courses 
announced

The Digital Curation Centre (DCC, http://www.dcc.ac.uk) and 
DigitalPreservationEurope (DPE, http://www.digitalpreservationeurope.eu) 
are delighted to announce:

- the Digital RepositoryAudit Method Based on Risk Assessment
 (DRAMBORA) toolkit is now freely available in a new updated
 interactive version at http://www.repositoryaudit.eu
 <http://www.repositoryaudit.eu/>

- the first of a series of training courses for new DRAMBORA
 auditors, 13th to the 17th of October 2008 in Prague, Czech
 Republic.

The DRAMBORA Online Interactive Toolkit
Based on practical research and recognizing current approaches and 
standards, DRAMBORA provides a method for self-assessment for digital 
curation professionals. It facilitates internal audit by providing 
repository administrators with a means to assess their capabilities, 
identify their weaknesses, and recognise their strengths, complementing 
other emerging work on attributes and criteria for Trustworthy Digital 
Repositories. DRAMBORA can be utilised by a broad range of digital 
repositories, digital libraries and digital archives, including those 
repositories whose mandates do not yet include responsibility for 
long-term digital preservation.

Since its release, an increasing number of international organizations, 
such as national libraries, scientific data centres, museums and 
archival institutions (including British Library, National Archives of 
Scotland, Netarkivet, Gallica - Bibliothèque nationale de France, CERN 
Document Server, Nationaal Archief Netherlands, Kungliga Biblioteket – 
Sveriges nationalbibliotek, MBooks Michigan-Google Digitization Project, 
U.S. Geological Survey) have used DRAMBORA. You can find out more about 
DRAMBORA and the experiences of its users at 
http://www.repositoryaudit.eu/dissemination/.

The developers of DRAMBORA have or have had active collaborations with 
the following international initiatives and projects:

- Trustworthy Repository Audit and Certification (TRAC) Criteria and
  Checklist Working Group
- Center for Research Libraries (CRL) Certification of Digital
  Archives Project
- Network of Expertise in Long-term storage of Digital Resources
  (nestor)
- DELOS Network of Excellence in Digital Libraries
- International Audit and Certification Birds of a Feather Group
- SHAMAN (Sustaining Heritage Access through Multivalent ArchiviNg)
- Working Group of ISO TC46 /SC 11

DRAMBORA was developed collaboratively by the DCC (funded by the Joint 
Information Systems Committee and the Core eScience Programme run by 
EPSRC on behalf of all the Research Councils in the UK) and DPE 
(co-funded by the European Commission). These two initiatives will 
continue to work together to support the refinement of toolkit, to 
manage the online interactive tool, and to foster its widest possible 
take-up within the United Kingdom, Europe and broader international 
contexts.

*****

DRAMBORA Auditor’s Training Courses
To support the take-up of the DRAMBORA Interactive toolkit and the use 
of the DRAMBORA methods the DCC in cooperation with DPE are pleased to 
announce our first training course for Auditor’s:

DRAMBORA Auditor Training 
DPE/DCC Joint Training Event
Prague, Czech Republic
13-17 October 2008
Detailed programme and registration at 
http://www.repositoryaudit.eu/training/prague-2008/

Duration of the course
Five days, from 12 noon on Monday the 13th of October 2008 to 13:00 on 
Friday the 17th of October 2008.

Course modules
Day 1: The landscape of digital preservation repositories assessment methods
Day 2: Key concepts in assessment of digital preservation repositories
Day 3: Introduction to the DRAMBORA method and toolkit
Day 4: Using DRAMBORA Interactive in practice: test audit and exam
Day 5: Feedback and practical tips for DRAMBORA auditors.

Learning objectives
By the end of the course attendees should:

* Comprehend the concept of risk with regards to digital
preservation repositories
* Recognise the need for evidence-based evaluation for building
trust in digital repositories
* Understand how the DCC/DPE self-assessment toolkit can be used to
help design and develop systems and workflows that can help build
trusted digital repositories
* Gain skills needed to undertake a thorough assessment of digital
repositories using the DCC/DPE self-assessment toolkit DRAMBORA
* Appreciate the range of staff and skill-sets required to implement
and sustain a trusted digital repository
* Obtain a working knowledge of the issues surrounding assessment,
and audit and certification of digital preservation repositories.

Intended Audience 
This course is designed for practitioners actively involved in funding, 
supporting, developing, implementing, and/or managing digital 
preservation repositories. The course will also be of value to auditors 
and risk managers from archives, libraries and museums sectors, and 
legal professionals and consultants. The maximum number of participants 
envisaged for this course is ten.

Teaching methods
Learning will we through a combination of lectures and practical 
exercises focused on hands-on group activities. After-course learning 
care will include access to online tutorials and support.

Trainers
DPE and DCC teaching team authored the DRAMBORA toolkit and have inside 
knowledge of other repository audit and certification tools and 
practical experience in using them: Hans Hofman (DPE and National 
Archives of Netherlands); Perla Innocenti (DCC and HATII at the 
University of Glasgow); Andrew McHugh (Planets and HATII at the 
University of Glasgow); Seamus Ross (DCC, DPE, and HATII at the 
University of Glasgow); and, Raivo Ruusalepp (DPE and National Archives 
of Netherlands).

Fees 
Fees are 200 euros for CASPAR, Planets, DPE, and DCC partners including 
associates and 250 euros for others. The fees cover costs of course 
materials, morning and afternoon coffee breaks, lunches Tuesday – 
Friday, and attendance at the DPE/Planets/CASPAR Conference Dinner.

For more information:
http://www.repositoryaudit.eu/training/prague-2008/
http://www.repositoryaudit.eu/
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Other Courses Planned
Two auditor’s training courses are being planned for early 2009 and 
these will also be for a limited number of participants. Details will be 
announced later in the autumn.