Unified Digital Format Registry (UDFR)
The UDFR is an initiative begun in April 2009 to build a single shared formats registry. UDFR builds on years of work performed by a number of institutions internationally, whether it was for PRONOM, the Global Digital Formats Registry (GDFR), or other format registry projects. It will:
  • be technically based on the existing PRONOM database
  • create a community governance model for the registry involving all institutions willing to contribute to its development
  • develop a mechanism for the distribution of the registry data in such a way as to support local extensions and additions to the database
  • develop both technical and organizational support for distributed input to the registry, including some form of quality vetting of contributed data

Project update: The technical work needed to make UDFR fully operational has been funded by the Library of Congress

Near the end of 2009 the interim governance working group submitted a proposal to the Library of Congress' National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) to fund the one-year program of technical work needed to establish the first version of the UDFR. Under the proposal the work would be conducted at the University of California Curation Center (UC3) of the California Digital Library (CDL). UC3 will provide project oversight and management, and will hire two new staff for the project - a project architect and developer. The proposal was accepted by the Library of Congress in early 2010 and UC3 has now begun the hiring process for the project which is scheduled to run from July 2010 to July 2011.

When the UDFR becomes operational in July 2011, it will have:

  • A publicly accessible web-based user interface that can be used to search, browse, display and download registry records
  • An API for tools and services to query, retrieve and export registry records for use in local repositories or applications
  • Ability to export information to DROID, a format identification tool created by TNA
  • Automatic tracking of the history of registry information changes
  • Population of the registry with all of the PRONOM content

Interim Governing Body (April 2009 - Present)

An ad-hoc governing body was formed in April 2009, in anticipation of the transfer of governance to a permanent body sometime in 2010 or 2011. Pam Armstrong, Manager of the Library and Archives Canada's Digital Repository Services and Standards Office, chairs the UDFR's interim governing body. The interim governing board is composed of individuals from:

Technical Working Group

In addition to the Interim Governing Body, the UDFR has a Technical Working Group to help guide the technical design and development of the registry. It is composed of individuals from:
WIKI (restricted)