Protecting digital archives at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Abstract

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America~(GOA) has amassed a rich and varied collection of artifacts associated with two thousand years of religious and historical tradition, as well as more than a century of chronicles in America. The items in this archive include iconography, art, photographs, letters, and other memorabilia. The GOA has endeavored to digitize these assets in order to preserve them, while at the same time make them more accessible for appropriate and beneficial uses. Specifically, the Department of Internet Ministries at the GOA was tasked with overseeing this digitization effort, as well as with the creation of appropriate tools and technology for accessing the resulting digital archive. The challenges associated with this work included the wide diversity of media types, the need to attach specific restrictions to the use of different items, and the desire to provide a user experience that was transparent and not daunting or discouraging. At a fairly early stage it was determined that emerging digital rights management (DRM) capabilities would be necessary in order to realize the goals of the project. These capabilities, however, had to be implemented while accounting for a previously deployed digital asset management (DAM) and web publishing system, not to mention the existing IT infrastructure. This paper presents a case study that describes the efforts associated with the specification, creation, and deployment of an effective DRM system that incorporates rights enforcement technology, and works in synergy with the previously deployed DAM system at the GOA.