Page 23 - Building Digital Libraries

CHAPTER 1

metadata, working with vocabularies, and establishing relation-
ships between objects.
Even if the repository is hosted by a vendor, significant
resources are needed for technical support. All systems require
those who manage them to implement regular improvements,
and users and staff need to load, modify, and change things in
bulk as well as individually.

How will start-up funding needs be met?
Repositories require start-up expenses for which one-time cap-
ital requests or grants can be pursued. In either of these cases,
the library needs to demonstrate that the repository meets
compelling needs, and it needs to provide a sustainable fund-
ing model, as described later in this chapter. This is where early
work with stakeholders to learn what they actually need proves
essential. A much more compelling case can be made when key
users themselves appeal directly to funders via letters of sup-
port and other means, and they articulate how the repository
meets their own critical needs.
For example, a repository could publish the scholarly out-
put of an institution, data to meet funder requirements, or help
a marketing or communications department easily find and
manage videos or photos they’ve contracted for (which saves
valuable time and avoids the need to pay to re-create material
they can’t find). Storing documents, images, recordings, and
other resources can help those engaged in development work
tell the story of the institution in much more compelling ways
in order to help potential donors understand what they can be a
part of. If your institution has paid infringement claims because
departments used copyrighted images on web pages, it would
save money to have a collection of approved images that depart-
ments could use. Researchers who need a place to mount data
to comply with funder requirements or simply prevent repeat-
ing expensive processes to re-create datasets could potentially
save money. New legal or institutional mandates are relevant,
but these do not guarantee any financial or staff support.
It’s a good idea to bring in stakeholders even if the purpose
of the repository is to perform a function that libraries have
historically performed well, such as providing access to theses
and dissertations. To achieve broad support and enthusiasm for
the project, it’s critical to engage the user community. Don’t just
ask what they want—have them be active participants in the
process. Reach out and spend time learning what they do, what
they want, and what they need. Invite them to help select the
system, and listen to what they say. It’s very possible that the
system they want you to build is very different than the one you
would normally want to build.
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