A presentation given at the Northern Collaboration conference on Friday 13th September at the University of Huddersfield. The presentation proposes the vision of a shared repository underpinning a digital library of institutional assets to enable repository collection scalability and promote public awareness of research and teaching within northern universities.
2. Introduction
DPLA and DALN
Libraries of the future
Trends
Repository development
Repositories and collaboration
DALN vision
From here to there
3. Background
Jisc Programme Manager for FAIR
Programme, 2002-4
Working with Fedora since 2005
Jisc projects – RepoMMan, REMAP, CLIF
Fedora UK&I User Group formed 2006
Hull’s IR implemented in 2008
Helped found the Hydra project the same
year – software implemented in 2011
4. DPLA
Digital Public Library of America
http://dp.la
Why?
Lots of knowledge in discrete packages
across libraries and other collections
DPLA acts as a means of linking these
packages and linking knowledge
Create new connections, and new
knowledge
6. DPLA
A collaboration
Those involved recognise the value of
working together to achieve more than
they could manage individually
Level of collaboration
Metadata feeds from multiple sources
Focused search engine
Facilitating interaction
7. DALN
Digital Academic Library of the North
Similar scenario
We each hold multiple packages of
knowledge
There is value in accessing knowledge
across these packages
We recognise the value of collaboration
How might we be inspired by the DPLA?
8. Academic Libraries of the
Future
Accessing knowledge, managing knowledge are
key parts of all three scenarios
9. Other observations…
Ithaka S+R UK survey of academics (2012)
Access to openly accessible materials
outside the library is closely complementary
to resources within the library
Derek Law environment scan (2009)
Managing institutional assets
Contributing to national and international
virtual research environment
Importance of quality assurance
10. Trends
All these observations are trying to identify
the trends in how libraries are developing
or need to develop
Predicting the future is never easy
DPLA is one reaction to this
Extending the reach of individual
collections
Adding additional value in its own right
12. Print to digital
Print Digital
Books E-Books
Journals E-Journals
Reference works Online reference works
/ The Internet
Videos/DVDs YouTube, NetFlix, etc.
CDs iTunes, Spotify, etc.
Slides Flickr, Google Images,
etc.
Theses E-Theses, EThOS
14. Shift to the network level
Resources
Discovery
Library management systems
Subject guides
Reading lists
ERM
15. The good the bad and the ugly
Greater breadth of resources
Greater width of access
Greater depth of functionality
Freedom to switch (?)
Enables focus on what libraries do best (?)
Licences!
Although maybe just extending library paradigm?
Finance!!
Ongoing, if regular, costs
16. IT input
A possible paradox
The level of effort working with digital
resources and systems is increasing
Is the level of local IT input developing in
parallel with this increased work with the
digital landscape?
How much IT effort is being outsourced?
To resource suppliers
To library technology companies
17. Repository development
OpenDOAR now lists 218 UK repositories
Drivers?
Focus on institutional repositories (170/218)
Focus on institutional assets
Focus on local
Open access
Open educational resources
Research data
Images
18. Building a local digital library
Repository as home to a variety of local
digital assets
Repository as infrastructure, not application
How much resource is needed to build a
library?
Where does this come from?
What skills are required?
What can be learned from those who have built
digital libraries?
19. Repository development
Getting to the Repository of the Future
workshop, Repository Fringe 2013
The role and need for a repository for managing
digital ‘stuff’ is here to stay
There is a need to re-state and define what our
repositories are for
We know what we want to do with repositories
We need to clarify the barriers to achieving this
but
but
21. Working with academics
Where does the focus in our efforts with
repositories lie?
With the system and library processes?
With the academic scholarship it serves?
Stuart Basefsky (2009)
Exploit the technology to better serve
research
http://www.llrx.com/node/2177
22. How institutional does an IR
need to be?
Brand / design
Advocacy
Strategy / policy
Cataloguing /
description
Impact / statistics
QA
Tin
Access / interface
Software functionality
Storage
Preservation
Scalability of
operation
Local Network level
24. Parallels – e-books
Brand / design
Advocacy
Strategy / policy
Cataloguing /
description
Impact / statistics
QA
Tin
Access / interface
Software functionality
Storage
Preservation
Scalability of
operation
Red - local Orange – mixed? Blue - network
25. Similar trends, different context
Repository content as part of personal
library
Managing a digital rather than a physical
library
Exception – focus on ownership, not rental
Could move to the network level
26. Collaboration at the
network level
Models currently exist
SDLC hosting of IRs for Scottish Universities
White Rose
EPrints Services / BMC Open / Digital
Commons
Shared infrastructure, individual services
Shared service?
28. DALN
Digital Academic Library of the North
Similar scenario to DPLA
We each hold multiple packages of
knowledge
There is value in accessing knowledge
across these packages
We recognise the value of collaboration
How might we collaborate to enrich the
assets/knowledge we hold?
29. A shared service
Recognise the value and benefits of
taking services to the network level
Take action on institutional limits
Scaling operation
IT resource requirement
Take ownership of the means by which
we can jointly develop our digital libraries
Maximise the potential for getting local
assets into personal libraries
31. DALN model
Individual repository services served from a
central, combined digital library
Local management requirements
Network access / preservation benefits from
collaboration
Focused definition of roles and responsibilities at
different levels
Showcase of institutional output from window
onto combined collections
Facilitating linkages across content
32. Content vs. metadata
DPLA is focused on metadata
Discovery and linking are core drivers
Are there network benefits to managing
content through a shared service?
How do we scale the management of
local assets?
Local management Central management
DALN
33. DALN benefits
Facilitate the management of different
types of content
Enable repository provision to become a
part of IT infrastructure
Provide common solutions to repository
feeds to other services
e.g., Google, Research Outcomes System
Allow local focus to be on working with
academic community
34. Getting there from here
We have considerable expertise and
knowledge of what it takes to run
repositories and digital libraries
Can we bring this together in some way to
identify a collaborative way forward?
Can we identify how to exploit the best of
moving service to the network level to aid
repository development?
35. To conclude
Repositories have become integral parts
of how we operate as libraries
They have the potential to evolve into
true digital libraries
Responding to library trends
We can add value to these through
working collaboratively
DALN vision is one way – are there others?
36. Image attributions
Paul Stainthorp, “IMAG2719”, 13 Aug 2005,
Online image, Flickr, 10 Sep 2013,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pstainthorp
/4192270743/
Mark Stevens, “The Road Ahead”, 14 Oct
2012, Online image, Flickr, 10 Sep 2013,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14723335@
N05/9013482834/
37. Thank you
Chris Awre
Head of Information Management
University of Hull
http://www.hull.ac.uk/lib
http://hydra.hull.ac.uk
http://projecthydra.org