n. (also canonicalisation)the process of converting an electronic record from one format to a persistent format while verifying the preservation of those features of the record that are key to its meaning and authenticityLynch, C., 1999Thus, as objects in digital archives are reformatted, it is possible to algorithmically verify, object by object, that the reformatting process preserves object integrity with respect to a given canonicalization process. Conversely, such a test can be used to identify problem objects for manual review and evaluation as part of a reformatting effort, or simply to note algorithmically that integrity damage occurred during the reformatting.McAlister 2007, 22A corollary to migration is canonicalization, a strategy designed to test migration integrity through the comparison of a migrated object to a “canonical” version that describes its key features.Marshall 2008Because canonicalization or migration may be loss-y and storage curves suggest that we may be able to keep the original files as a hedge against inadvertent loss, it will probably be the most prudent to package the original digital object along with any canonicalized or migrated versions. It is always possible that we will get it wrong during any initial format normalization or during any one of a number of migrations as the years go forward.
Notes
Canonicalization is essentially the process of format migration, such as the conversion of a Word document into a more persistent PDF/A, but with one addition: the created preservation copy is also tested algorithmically to ensure the capture of the “canonical” features essential to maintaining the authenticity of the document.
