Page 31 - Building Digital Libraries

CHAPTER 2

• Is metadata extracted from the objects themselves,
uploaded in a separate process, or is it keyed in?

• What requirements are there for the metadata in terms of
structure, format, and content?
• What operations such as normalization into standard
formats or generation of derivatives are necessary for new
resources?
• What opportunities for automation are available?
• Who will be managing which parts of the metadata?

Of the questions in the list above, the most important regard the addition
of metadata and batch support. Metadata provides the context for resources
which makes them useful, so special attention needs to be devoted to the
addition of metadata, since the success of the repository ultimately hinges
on the ability to efficiently provide the metadata needed to use and manage
resources. Are the needed data fields supported, and can the required fields
be completely and efficiently populated?
If support for batch operations is required, are the batch operations
provided sufficient, and can they be made compatible with existing work-
flows or ones that could be realistically implemented? Even if an application
programming interface (API) is provided that allows the library to design
a custom interface, all tools must ultimately interface with humans and the
way they actually work.

What Rights Management and Access
Controls Do You Need?
All systems require access controls, if only to define who can assign rights
as well as upload and modify data and objects. Support for access controls
varies widely across systems and includes the ability to restrict the ability
to create, view, modify, download, and perform operations on collections,
objects, or metadata based on factors such as:

• user
• group
• role (e.g., administrator, staff, collection manager, student
worker, authenticated user, general public, etc.)
• network location
• object or metadata properties such as being protected by
embargo, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountabil-
ity Act, or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
• other factors

Rights management potentially involves identity management systems,
authentication protocols, and the storage of staff and user data. Legal
and institutional requirements that dictate where and how data and user

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