Page 22 - Building Digital Libraries

Getting Started

• Why will people use the repository?
• Who is going to use it?
• How are they going to use it?
• What type of resources will it contain?
• How big is it expected to grow?
• How can resources be maintained?

• How will access and intellectual property rights
be managed?
• What systems does it need to interact with for ingest-
ing, discovering, and using materials?
• Who is responsible for what parts of its operations?
• What workflows does it need to support?

• What special capabilities does it need?
• How are objects and collections that are no longer
needed identified, and what happens to them?

Key stakeholders must agree on the worth of the repository
and the viability of the plan because their buy-in is critical to
securing funding. Answering these questions allows planners
to refine the repository proposal, generate enthusiasm for the
project, and engage those individuals who are necessary for a
successful outcome.

How will staffing needs be met?
You will also need to establish how to fulfill the different staff
roles needed to run the repository services. A wide range of
skills is needed:
• Help users become aware of and take
advantage of services
• Provide overall administration
• Manage objects
• Metadata and vocabulary support
• Technical support

One person can fill multiple roles, but it is unrealistic to
expect one person to fill all of the roles. Working with users
is time-consuming but essential. Most users don’t realize how
repository services can help them, let alone that the library will
be hosting the services. Working directly with users is also criti-
cal for understanding how their needs are or are not being met.
Objects are useful only when they are findable within a
useful context. The context of an object within a repository
is provided through navigation, structure, and metadata, so
even highly engaged users need help creating and managing
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