From OATS to Solar Boats

Managing Digital Objects in Scotland.

Presentation to EC 2005

Dennis Nicholson, Director

Centre for Digital Library Research,

University of Strathclyde, Glasgow,

Scotland

Intentions 1/3

A sampling of what EC2005 covers No pretence at being comprehensive

– a dip rather than a dissertation Drawing on: CMS Project (early data) Examples from Mopark, but note:

To illustrate potential issues, not necessarily your issues

METS, e-GMS, DC? Depends…

Intentions 2/3

Brief Introduction to the CMS Project Funded by SLIC – CDLR, NLS, SMC

Aim: to ensure metadata Interoperability across Scottish Content Management Systems and Digital Repositories

Guidelines for Best Practice Survey and electronic forum:

george.macgregor@strath.ac.uk

Intentions 3/3

A peep into the world of Scottish digital object management: The objects themselves The content management systems The metadata schemas The issues that might come up The CMS facilities that might be

required

Digital Objects

Created in all domains: Electronic papers and theses Records, exam papers, minutes Images, video, animations, audio Web pages, digitised texts, Digital

essays, 3D maps, archival materials

Electronic learning materials MoPark Interpretive Journeys

MoPark

MoPark and its Interpretive Journeys illustrate the complex end of what is out there: They are looking to manage guides to park tours for PDAs, solar boats, as well as almost everything else: audio guides, 3D maps, poster e-publishing, components, hard-copy

Content Management Systems

CMS Project had reports of: Index+, ADLIB, Tridion, Extensis

Portfolio, STUDY IT, IntraLibrary, iBase, Encompass, Insight, Oracle CMS, Microsoft .NET CMS, CALM, Fedora, DSpace, MoPark DAMS

Comparison not part of the project, metadata is the main focus

MoPark building their own CMS – DAMS. Here: set up screen for adding asset types and linking them to file types, metadata categories.

Metadata Schema Used

Survey responses to date: DC, MARC, UK LOM, e-GMS, TEI,

VRA, EAD, ISAD (G), proprietary schemes

Some using more than one No report of recent standards like:

MODS, MIX, IMS-CP, MPEG-21 Except METS planned in three MetaMap – URL later

MoPark Plan to use METSDescriptive metadata (as MARC, e-GMS mostly are) Administrative metadata (technical,

rights, analogue source, digital object files provenance), Files metadataStructural Map metadata to outline object’s hierarchical structure Structural Links metadata for inter-hierarchy links Behaviour metadata

Possible Issues

One repository or many – web-site, IR, VLE, DL, FOI…

Using various staff to manage accuracy, legality, promotional impact, safety issues, currency in digital objects via workflow control - the right checks in the right order

Other issues: Common objects in composites; Preservation metadata

G

F E

D

C

B

4

2

x

7

6

5

x

x

x

INCHCAILLOCH

CLAIRINSHThe Kitchen

BALMAHA PIER

Figure 1: Schematic diagram illustrating Inchcailloch journey

Numbers refer to interpretive points on plan

A

H

MoPark has most of these issues. An IJ is one object with (say) 12 stops, each having a complex audio-visual presentation on flora, fauna, history, geology, culture, landscape. Plus versions for walks, solar boats, more

For example, part of one stop: 1000 years ago, animal sounds played, then pictures shown

Objects extremely complex, management issues include accuracy, currency in changing, seasonal environment, safety, preservation issues. One strategy based on preserving individual objects and using METS structural metadata to describe how they are (or were) inter-linked

CMS Facilities Required

Depends, but may include facilities to: Add, display, edit, manage,

export metadata and assets Add asset types, metadata

types, file types, permissions, people; interlink these + assets

Manage workflows – checks, approvals, alerts

For example, MoPark’s DAMS has screens:

- for adding metadata categories, attributes

- adding asset types, and linking them to file types and metadata categories

- Adding metadata under the various METS headings

- Managing components, Composites, Workflows

Final Summary

Digital Object Management: Simple or complex? Depends Growing area; Vital to get it right

CMS Project will help: Guidelines for best practice in

various different circumstances Bringing people together

Inform SCIE Development Plan

Questions?

Further Information The CMS Project website is at

http://cms.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/ Metamap: http://

mapageweb.umontreal.ca/turner/meta/english/index.html

Contacts: d.m.nicholson@strath.ac.uk george.macgregor@strath.ac.uk

CDLR: http://cdlr.strath.ac.uk/