Ingest

Ingest is the entry point at which records or digital objects cross from a producer or active system into a managed repository. In the OAIS reference model, ingest is the function that receives a Submission Information Package (SIP), verifies its completeness and integrity, generates or extracts preservation metadata, and transforms it into an Archival Information Package (AIP) for permanent storage. The work matters because it is the moment authenticity and chain of custody are established: fixity checks, format identification, virus scanning, and metadata capture all happen here, and what is missed at ingest is often impossible to recover later.

For example, when an agency transfers permanent electronic records to an archive, ingest confirms the files are unaltered, records who sent them and when, and ties them to disposition authority. Ingest is distinct from accession (the formal taking of custody) and from transfer (the act of moving records); ingest is the technical and procedural intake that makes those records trustworthy and usable over time, consistent with PREMIS and current ERM guidance.