The Preservation Digitisation Standards set out the required standards for digitisation of physical records of archival value (RNA) and are designed for internal, outsourced and agency digitisation of RNA records. These standards ensure that preservation digitisation activities produce a digital copy which is an effective long-term surrogate for paper and analogue originals. They also enable the creation of derivative files to meet access requirements and minimise the physical wear and tear caused by handling fragile collection items.

The standards have been developed in line with the standards of national and international GLAM (Gallery, Library, Archive and Museum) institutions. They set out the technical requirements for digitisation outputs produced under the National Archives’ National Digitisation Plan, which supports the National Digitisation and Preservation Strategies.