Page 14 - Building Digital Libraries

Introduction

Digital collections take many forms and serve many objectives. This
book aims to help you understand the broad issues surrounding institu-
tional repositories (IRs), digital asset management systems (DAMs), online
educational resources (OERs), and digital libraries. For the purposes of this
book, the differences between these different types of collections are unim-
portant, and the terms “repository” or “digital repository” will be used to
refer to any system that is used to organize, store, retrieve, and disseminate
digital resources.
Understanding digital libraries is as much a matter of recognizing what
you don’t need to know as it is about learning what you do need to know.
There are too many types of repositories to discuss them individually, so we
focus on concepts that can help you understand any system. Commercial
and open source systems designed to fulfill very divergent needs depend
on a countless array of standards and technologies, so this book introduces
you only to those that will likely be significant for your own project, with
the expectation that you will consult specialized references for greater detail
on specific tools, methods, standards, and technologies.
The first chapter of this book discusses creating a digital repository,
including how to determine whether your library should create one at all,
since building a repository requires a permanent commitment of resources
that would otherwise be used to support other services. This chapter also
discusses determining the scope or extent of your project, securing support
for initial and ongoing expenses, and tools you can use to help get started.
Chapter 2 guides you through the questions that need to be answered
to select a repository architecture. Every repository project is ultimately
motivated by a vision of how a set of needs can be met. The architecture
determines what can be added to the repository, how materials can be pro-
cessed and enhanced to meet needs, how resources are navigated, and how
they can be used. The architecture defines what user and staff workflows are
possible, as well as the potential capabilities of the repository. This chapter
concludes with suggestions on how to build a requirements list that allows
a meaningful comparison of platforms.

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