The veraPDF Consortium is developing a new toolset for addressing preservation issues with PDF/A files and is consulting members to ensure the tools meet their needs.

As part of the EC and PREFORMA Project funded veraPDF consortium, tools will be developed to validate PDF/A files and enable the checking of any PDF/A against an institutional policy. The tools will both help to improve the quality of PDF/As in wider circulation while also enabling organisations to identify problematic PDF/As within their archives. Full details can be found in the attached overview.

veraPDF has already developed a design based on detailed requirements, gathered primarily from OPF members. It is now seeking further feedback from both OPF and DPC members in order to validate and fine tune this design. In particular, we would like to understand:

• What issues members would like to identify in their PDF/As, in other words what are their policy requirements for PDF/As
• How members would like to implement and use the veraPDF tools, and capture this understanding in short use cases

We are also very interested in engaging with members who would like to test working versions of the veraPDF tools as they become available, and provide feedback that will help hone these products as valuable preservation tools. Support will be available to assist with implementation and testing, and in particular understanding, capturing and expressing institutional requirements as profiles for use in the tools.

We welcome direct feedback by email and are keen to engage with members in short follow up interviews. If you would like to contribute your organisation’s requirements, please contact paul.wheatley at dpconline.org

Follow up interviews will ideally be conducted in the last 2 weeks of June.

More information can be found here:

https://openpreservation.org/about/projects/verapdf/