[David]

The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) has announced the launch of its accreditation program for ISO 16363 and ISO 16919. This program brings us one step closer to ISO certification of Trustworthy Digital Repositories (TDR). Under the ANAB program Certification Bodies (auditing organizations) will be accredited to conduct TDR audits and certifications. Here is the text of the ANAB announcement:
Details can be found in the announcement at http://anab.org/media/53653/hu319.pdf which contains the following:
Issue: 319
Date: 2015/09/01
To: ANAB-Accredited and Applicant CBs and MS Accreditation Assessors
From: Natalia Larrimer, New Business Development Specialist
Re: Pre-launch Announcement of ISO 16363 Program
ANAB is developing an accreditation program for certification of organizations conforming with ISO 16363, Space data and information transfer systems – Audit and certification of trustworthy digital repositories. 
Since the late 1980s, many organizations have been concerned with issues surrounding the long-term preservation of and access to digital data. In 1996, the Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information declared ”a critical component of digital archiving infrastructure is the existence of a sufficient number of trusted organizations capable of storing, migrating, and providing access to digital collections.”
In 2007, several authors of the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model and Trustworthy Repositories Audit & Certification: Criteria and Checklist (TRAC) and other interested parties began developing ISO 16363. ISO 16363 has been endorsed by the Society of American Archivists, the oldest and largest North American national archival professional association. The standard is seen as a solution to concerns of data preservation for the energy and utilities, healthcare, manufacturing, legal, cultural heritage, and creative sectors. Any industry that has preservation requirements, whether mandatory or voluntary, will benefit from accredited certification of digital repositories.
ANAB will use ISO 16919, Space data and information transfer systems – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of candidate trustworthy digital repositories, a companion standard based on ISO/IEC 17021, for TDRMS accreditation.
The Primary Trustworthy Digital Repository Authorisation Body (PTAB) will offer a high-level ISO 16363 training course in Washington, DC, in October 2015. For more information on PTAB or the course, visit www.iso16363.org.
Pre-launch Discount
Any CB that meets the prerequisite and commits by 2015/10/01 to applying for ISO 16363 accreditation will have a reduced application fee of $3,500 instead of the full application fee of $5 000. To take advantage of this special offer, submit notice of your intent to nlarrimer@anab.org with payment of $3,500 by the end of the day on 2015/10/01. Payment can be made by wire transfer or by check to ANAB, P.O. Box 582, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0582, postmarked no later than 2015/10/01. For wire transfer instructions, contacttsu@anab.org.

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