Terminology Database

The InterPARES Trust Terminology is a vocabulary drawn from the emerging and evolving intersection of recordkeeping and information technology. It continues the work of previous InterPARES projects, by exploring aspects of trust in cloud environments. Established social conventions of trusting archives has been based in large part on the notion of tangible records in the custody of an archival repository. If an archives delegates custody of its records to a third party, such as a cloud service provider, the assumptions underlying those social conventions have changed and should be re-examined.

This terminology is a starting point to clarify the meaning of the words and phrases that represent fundamental concepts being examined. The meaning of terms representing relatively new concepts are often ambiguous because it is not yet well-established and it may be used with a varity of senses. Over time, especially as the implications and implementations of these new concepts mature, a consensual meaning emerges. For example, when first introduced, “cloud” was particularly nebulous. Some argued that it was merely a new word for existing technologies such as distributed storage. Others argued that it was substantially different, incorporating notions of storage as a service independent of implementation. Marketers often used “cloud” to promote existing products and services as new and innovative. In the past several years, the notion of cloud computing has been clarified and expanded.

At the same time, terms with established meanings are often learned through use in context, rather than formal study. As such, terms may be used imprecisely or without a full understanding of their meaning. For example, many individuals would have a working sense of “trust”, but might not be able to provide a concise or considered definition. While many of these terms can be found in standard reference works, the terminology includes definitions and notes written specifically in context of archives and technology.

The terminology’s definitions are descriptive, reflecting how a term is used in the literature. The online version typically includes examples used to justify the definition. At the same time, those citations often provide explanation beyond what is appropriate for a concise definition. In addition to these citations, the terms often have a note that provides a gloss on meaning and usage.

This print edition is abridged from the online version available at http://arstweb.clayton.edu/interlex/. In general, it does not include terms included in the InterPARES 2 Glossary (2018). Neither does it include terms used in the Preservation as a Service of Trust (PaaST) model (Thibodeau, et al. 2017).

The Terminology was developed as part of the InterPARES Trust research project, Luciana Duranti, principal investigator and Victoria Lemieux, co-principal investigator. Richard Pearce-Moses was the editor. Alicia Banard provided translations to Spanish, and Rosely Rondinelli provided translations to Portuguese. This work reflects many individuals' collaborative research on cloud issues.

Contributors

Past Contributors