Preservation Policy

1. Purpose and Scope

The WBU Scholarly Repository is committed to the long-term preservation and continued accessibility of all deposited scholarly works. This Preservation Policy establishes the principles, strategies, and operational procedures that govern the Repository's approach to digital preservation, in accordance with internationally recognised standards and best practices.

This policy applies to all content deposited in the Repository, including full-text documents, associated metadata records, and supplementary files. It covers works across all stages of the Repository lifecycle, from initial deposit through to permanent archiving.

2. Preservation Commitments

World Bridge University undertakes the following commitments with respect to deposited content:

• Permanence: The University commits to maintaining access to published Repository records on a permanent basis. In the event of any significant change to the Repository's operational status, the University will make reasonable efforts to transfer all content to an equivalent institutional or national repository.
• Integrity: The bit-level integrity of all deposited files will be maintained through regular fixity checks using cryptographic hash verification (SHA-256). Any corruption detected will be addressed through restoration from backup copies.
• Authenticity: The Repository will maintain auditable records of all changes made to deposited items, including version history, provenance information, and an audit trail of administrative actions.
• Accessibility: The Repository will make all reasonable efforts to ensure that deposited works remain accessible in usable, rendered formats across changing technological environments.

3. Preferred and Acceptable File Formats

To facilitate long-term preservation, the Repository strongly recommends the following file formats for deposit:

• Preferred: PDF/A (ISO 19005) — the international standard for long-term archiving of electronic documents
• Acceptable: Standard PDF (all versions); plain text (UTF-8); XML; HTML; JPEG; PNG; TIFF (for image-based content)
• Not recommended: Proprietary formats without open specifications; formats subject to technological obsolescence (e.g., early Microsoft Office formats)

Where works are deposited in non-preferred formats, the Repository may, where technically feasible, create preservation copies in PDF/A format. Authors will be notified of any format migration undertaken.

4. Backup and Storage Infrastructure

All deposited content is stored across geographically distributed, redundant storage systems maintained by the University's IT infrastructure and cloud service partners. The following backup procedures are in place:

• Real-time replication to a minimum of two geographically separate storage locations
• Daily incremental backups with a minimum 90-day retention period
• Monthly full system backups retained for a minimum of three (3) years
• Annual disaster recovery testing and review

5. Metadata Preservation

Bibliographic metadata associated with all deposited works is treated as a preservation object in its own right. Metadata records are maintained in standardised, open formats (Dublin Core, XML) and are included in all backup and migration procedures. Metadata is retained permanently, even where the associated full-text file may be subject to access restrictions.

6. Format Migration and Technology Obsolescence

The Repository monitors developments in digital preservation practice and technology on an ongoing basis. Where file formats become obsolete or unsupported, the Repository will undertake format migration to ensure continued accessibility. Any migration will be documented in the item's preservation audit log, and the original deposited file will be retained alongside any migrated version.

7. Succession Planning

In the event that World Bridge University is unable to continue operating the Repository, the University undertakes to: (a) provide a minimum of six (6) months' notice to depositors; (b) transfer all content and metadata to a suitable successor institution or repository; (c) ensure that persistent identifiers (DOIs) continue to resolve to the transferred content; and (d) publish a public notice on the Repository website detailing the transition arrangements.

8. Standards and Frameworks

The Repository's preservation programme is guided by the following recognised standards and frameworks:

• OAIS Reference Model (ISO 14721) — Open Archival Information System
• Trustworthy Digital Repository criteria (ISO 16363)
• PREMIS Data Dictionary for preservation metadata
• Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) Rapid Assessment Model
• COAR Community Framework for repository interoperability

9. Review

This Preservation Policy shall be reviewed by the Office of Academic Affairs every two (2) years, or sooner in response to significant developments in digital preservation technology, standards, or institutional circumstances.