Page 35 - Building Digital Libraries

CHAPTER 2

community-based model, it is assumed that resources can be understood,
described, and organized best by experts who are not necessarily part of the
library. In contrast, CONTENTdm is based on a highly centralized model
for managing images, with tools to support the workflows that are often
found in libraries. Rather than relying on authors to choose and organize
what belongs in the collection, library staff fulfill these functions. Bepress
was specifically designed to disseminate scholarly information primarily in
textual format, so the system presumes a publishing workflow, has built-in
support for features required in publishing such as embargo support, and
emphasizes search engine optimization.
The functionality offered by each platform is very different, as is the staff
and user experience, because each platform is based on a different assump-
tion of who is responsible for doing what and how tasks are performed.
Platforms have been created for publishing journals, creating exhibitions,
storing and manipulating specialized data types, managing licensed or
sensitive images, storing music to support educational programs, and many
other diverse purposes. The platform, resources, and metadata are closely
related, and optimizing them for certain purposes makes them unsuited to
other purposes. However, not optimizing them for any purpose can lead
to situations where they don’t align with user needs, are difficult to use, or
require extensive modification or are difficult to maintain.

Open Source or Proprietary?
Open source software (OSS) is software created under a license that allows
the user to modify and distribute the code. Open source software may be
maintained by a group of companies or individuals, but it might also be
maintained by a single company or individual. In contrast, proprietary soft-
ware is owned by one or more individuals or companies and has restrictions
on its use. Under normal circumstances, the code is not provided, nor are
modifications permitted.
Even if your library lacks the ability to support open source software,
support can often be contracted—often from those who produced the
software. If you need the ability to modify functionality, many companies
allow you to contract custom development, while others allow you to modify
the application yourself. It is important to be aware that future migrations
become more challenging as the level of customization increases.
It is usually unnecessary to decide whether the repository should be
open source or proprietary before selecting a platform. The practical dif-
ferences between OSS and proprietary software depend on the specifics of
an individual situation. Either open source or proprietary software may:
• have better functionality
• be easier to customize for your needs

• have better vendor support
• have better user community support
• be more secure
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