Editing Digital preservation (section)

===Identification (identifiers and descriptive metadata)===
In digital preservation and [[Collections management|collection management]], discovery and identification of objects is aided by the use of assigned identifiers and accurate descriptive metadata. An [[identifier]] is a unique label that is used to reference an object or record, usually manifested as a number or string of numbers and letters. As a crucial element of [[metadata]] to be included in a database record or inventory, it is used in tandem with other descriptive metadata to differentiate objects and their various instantiations.<ref name="niso.org">Greenberg, Jane. "[http://www.niso.org/publications/press/UnderstandingMetadata.pdf Understanding Metadata and Metadata Schemes] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107022958/http://www.niso.org/publications/press/UnderstandingMetadata.pdf |date=2014-11-07 }}." Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 40.3-4 (2005): 17-36. National Information Standards Organization.</ref>

Descriptive metadata refers to information about an object's content such as title, creator, subject, date etc...<ref name="niso.org"/> Determination of the elements used to describe an object are facilitated by the use of a metadata schema. Extensive descriptive metadata about a digital object helps to minimize the risks of a digital object becoming inaccessible.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=McDonough|first1=Jerome|last2=Jimenez|first2=Mona|year=2006|title=Video Preservation and Digital Reformatting: Pain and Possibility.|journal=Journal of Archival Organization |volume=4|issue=1–2|pages=167–191|doi=10.1300/J201v04n01_09|s2cid=62181844}}</ref>

Another common type of file identification is the [[filename]]. Implementing a file naming protocol is essential to maintaining consistency and efficient discovery and retrieval of objects in a collection, and is especially applicable during digitization of analog media. Using a file naming convention, such as the [[8.3 filename]] or the [[Standard (warez)|Warez standard naming]], will ensure compatibility with other systems and facilitate migration of data, and deciding between descriptive (containing descriptive words and numbers) and non-descriptive (often randomly generated numbers) file names is generally determined by the size and scope of a given collection.<ref>[http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/managing "Managing"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013234403/http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/managing |date=2014-10-13 }}. Jisc Digital Media. 08 Oct. 2014.</ref> However, filenames are not good for semantic identification, because they are non-permanent labels for a specific location on a system and can be modified without affecting the bit-level profile of a digital file.