Page 28 - Building Digital Libraries

Choosing

a Repository 2

Architecture

Some design choices preclude others. Power and flexibility come at the IN THIS CHAPTER
expense of simplicity, speed, and ease of maintenance. The ability to handle
a wide variety of resource types may preclude support for the functionality  Questions to Ask before
and workflows associated with specialized resources. Choosing an Architecture
The best architecture for a repository depends on the purpose of the  Building the Requirements List
repository and its anticipated use. Because the platform determines how
information is added, processed, stored, searched, and used, it has an
enormous impact on the user experience as well as on all staff functions
relating to the repository. For this reason, understanding the opportunities
and challenges conceptually and the technically divergent approaches that
exist is essential to making a good choice.

Questions to Ask before Choosing
an Architecture

Planners must have a solid understanding of what fundamental needs the
repository serves and who will interact with it before identifying a repository
platform. Virtually all repositories support a certain set of basic functions,
such as adding, processing, managing, storing, and disseminating resources.
Because the way in which these functions are implemented determines what
can be done and how, it is critical to translate how people expect to interact
with the repository into a set of platform requirements.
For example, if materials need to be protected, access controls are
essential. If your library lacks the expertise or technical resources to install
the repository, you’ll need a system that can be hosted or maintained by a
vendor. If data that requires protection for privacy, intellectual property, or
other reasons will be stored, data controls are required. If users need to be
able to manipulate large numbers of objects in the system, it must support
bulk operations in a workflow they would find acceptable. If support for
provenance or genealogy is required, appropriate metadata and navigation
support are necessary.
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