BagIt

The Library of Congress’s NDIIPP website, digitalpreservation.gov, provides access to information about preserving digital culture. Recently added to the site is information about the BagIt digital transfer tool:

A bag is like a folder or directory on a computer. It is essentially comprised of three elements: A bag declaration text file, which is like a seal of authenticity; a text-file manifest listing the files in the collection; and a subdirectory – usually titled “data” – filled with the digital content. The manifest is machine readable for automated data ingest. The receiving computer analyzes the manifest and runs checksums on the contents; if the checksums match, the transfer is successful.