RepoMMan:the repository asservice-orientedinstitutionalinfrastructure

Richard Green & Chris AwreOpen Scholarship October 2006University of Glasgow

Introduction

•The University of Hull context and vision

•RepoMMan

•Metadata

•User requirements

•A service oriented approach

University of Hull repository•Many older repositories adopt a ‘silo’ approach

• Images, learning objects, research outputs...

•Vision for Hull’s institutional repository is broad and ‘cross silo’ (research, admin, T&L etc)

• Supporting the development of content as well as storage, management, access and preservation of completed objects

• Allowing re-use of content across silo-boundaries (e.g., teaching/research nexus)

•The repository as a key service within the institutional infrastructure

Fedora

•Fedora :

• Offers these underpinning capabilities

• Is open source

• Is scalable

• Will cope with almost any file type

• Provides the web service interfaces to embed itself in the University infrastructure

• Can provide open access or secure storage

• BUT (deliberately) has no user ‘front end’

Repository services

Meeting expectations

•‘Repository software’ workflow may be specific to its areas of functionality; relatively inflexible

•We want to fit the repository in with the user’s needs, expectations and environment

•Technology meeting user needs rather than adapting needs to technology

RepoMMan

•Repository Metadata and Management

•Part of JISC Digital Repositories Programme

•Project funded for two years to May 2007

RepoMMan

•Closely aligned with University’s commitment to deploy an institutional repository

•Technical development (workflow, automated metadata on Fedora) underpinned by user requirements

•RepoMMan tool will be one of a number of repository services which will be built to work with Fedora allowing a more flexible needs-driven approach than other products generally allow

RepoMMan

•RepoMMan tool is an open standards-based, flexible workflow tool to help users do what they already do, but in a repository context

• Uses Fedora’s Web Service APIs and BPEL

• Surfaced via University portal (uPortal) and Sakai C&LE

• Provides the means to use storage, accessibility, backup, versioning ...

Repository vision

Metadata

•Exposing materials requires good metadata

•Portal can provide personal metadata

•Tools like JHOVE can automatically generate technical metadata

•Automatic descriptive metadata is something of a Holy Grail

• Investigating ‘Kea’ (New Zealand Digital Library Project) and tools from NSDL/UC Riverside provided as part of ‘Data Fountains’

User requirements

•Essential to meet user requirements

•Requirements gathered through interview and on-line survey

•Initial work centred on the needs of (some) researchers for a working tool right through the research process

• ‘Some’ because not all need it and we are not in the game of mandating use for development of materials

•Working now with colleagues in T&L, and admin

RepoMMan provision

•The RepoMMan tool, in conjunction with Fedora, will provide:

• A private working space that can (optionally) be shared with collaborators

• Storage, accessibility, backup

• Metadata creation on publication or on demand

Service-oriented

•Fedora-based repository part of aim to provide flexible infrastructure services to enhance and facilitate business processes

•Institutional portal and web-content management system are other services

• Sakai C&LE may be added.

Three-tier stack

RepoMMantool

Webservices

Service-oriented

•This is a service-oriented approach: allows services to be built to meet user need rather than dictating what the user will get.

•Fedora provides service-oriented ability to work with digital content in a coherent and structured manner

Thank you

•Richard Green - r.green@hull.ac.uk

•Chris Awre - c.awre@hull.ac.uk

•RepoMMan project

•http://www.hull.ac.uk/esig/repomman/