Page 16 - Building Digital Libraries

Getting Started 1

The ultimate success or failure of a digital repository is often deter- IN THIS CHAPTER
mined in the planning stages. A repository must serve a real need. It must
support user workflows and be structured and organized so that users can  Should You Build a Repository?
interact with resources as needed. It must be easy to maintain and capable  Selling the Project
of accommodating needs and resources that may not exist at the time the  Getting Your Repository
repository is designed. off the Ground
On a basic level, a digital repository is a collection of digital resources.
These materials may have been converted from an analog format such as
paper, or they may have been born digital. They may consist of singular
objects that are used individually such as documents, images, and video files,
but they might also be complex objects consisting of related files as might be
found in exhibitions, photos associated with releases, and learning objects.
Some types of resources such as datasets, output from specialized devices,
music associated with scores, and anything with a geospatial component
may require specialized software or platforms to be useful.
Regardless of the type of resources they contain, the purpose of digital
repositories is to allow information to be accessed and used. To accomplish
this objective, a repository must preserve both objects and sufficient meta-
data to provide a context that can make those objects usable. The repository
must also support a reasonable mechanism for ingesting, searching, using,
and managing materials.

Should You Build a Repository?

People charged with implementing digital repositories often focus imme-
diately on the technical aspects of the endeavor. They read about standards
and best practices, they write requirements, evaluate software, and explore
hardware and services they might need to make their repository a success.
While important, these steps represent only a tiny part of the planning
process.

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