OAISmallia

OAISmallia is a fictional construct introduced in discussions of digital preservation to illustrate how a small-scale archive might implement the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) reference model.

OAISmallia envisions a compact OAIS-compliant archive designed for small institutions. It adopts the three-tier life cycle of OAIS: submission, archival storage, and dissemination. Ingest begins with a Submission Information Package (SIP) that transfers digital objects and metadata; after processing, the archive stores an Archive Information Package (AIP) containing the Preservation Description Information and Representation Information needed for long-term access. Access requests yield Dissemination Information Packages (DIPs) for users. The model emphasizes minimal but sufficient preservation planning, metadata stewardship, and administrative functions, while keeping the storage and processing footprint manageable.

Because OAISmallia is fictional, it is chiefly used in education and conceptual design exercises. It helps students compare different metadata schemas, preservation actions, and packaging strategies without the complexity of large-scale systems. Practitioners may adapt its principles to draft policy and workflow prototypes for small repositories.

As a simplified, hypothetical construct, OAISmallia omits many features of real OAIS deployments, such as scalability, complex data formats, and interoperability challenges. It should not be taken as a standard or recommendation; it serves as a teaching aid.

See also: OAIS, Open Archival Information System, digital preservation, archival metadata.