BagIt

BagIt is a container format defined in an Internet Draft: http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-kunze-bagit-08.txt. BagIt is a hierarchical file packaging format designed for storage and transfer of arbitrary digital content. A bag consists of a "payload" and "tags". The payload is treated as opaque; the tags are metadata files intended to document the payload contents and transfer of the bag. A bag must contain at least one 'manifest' file that lists the payload files and checksums using a declared algorithm. Optionally, additional metadata can be stored in tag and info files following naming and syntax rules in the specification. For transfer, a BagIt structure is typically packed into a ZIP or .tar.gz file.

Software

 * BagIt File Packaging Format Has links to several software tools and libraries.