Choosing Delivery Choosing Delivery Software for a Software for a Digital LibraryDigital Library

Jody DeRidderJody DeRidder

Digital Library CenterDigital Library Center

University of TennesseeUniversity of Tennessee

OutlineOutline

I. IntroductionI. Introduction

II. Assess the Internal SituationII. Assess the Internal Situation

III. Locating Available OptionsIII. Locating Available Options

IV. Narrowing the SelectionIV. Narrowing the Selection

V. In-Depth Assessment: TestingV. In-Depth Assessment: Testing

VI. ConclusionsVI. Conclusions

IntroductionIntroduction

Software is only one aspect of a digital Software is only one aspect of a digital library.library.

Intelligent selection requires careful Intelligent selection requires careful assessment of internal needs and assessment of internal needs and resources, as well as careful assessment of resources, as well as careful assessment of the options…the options…

Once you begin using a system, you have Once you begin using a system, you have made a major commitment.made a major commitment.

II. Assess the Internal II. Assess the Internal SituationSituation

A. Users: who are they?A. Users: who are they? 1) What do they need?1) What do they need?

2) What do they want?2) What do they want?

B. B. Clients: who are Clients: who are they?they?

1) What do they need?1) What do they need?

2) What do they want?2) What do they want?

II. Assess the Internal II. Assess the Internal SituationSituation

C: Support C: Support 1) Servers(s) 1) Servers(s)

Operating System Operating System Processor Speed Processor Speed Disk Space Disk Space Mitigating Factors Mitigating Factors

II. Assess the Internal II. Assess the Internal SituationSituation

C: SupportC: Support 2) Personnel 2) Personnel

Skill Sets Skill Sets Time Available Time Available

3) Monetary Costs3) Monetary Costs Hardware Hardware Software Software Personnel Personnel Professional SupportProfessional Support

II. Assess the Internal II. Assess the Internal SituationSituation

D: Other D: Other Considerations Considerations Formats of Materials and Formats of Materials and

Collections Collections Metadata Standards Metadata Standards Additional FunctionalityAdditional Functionality

III. Locating Available III. Locating Available OptionsOptions

Listservs Listservs Web Searches Web Searches Peer Institutions Peer Institutions Recent Literature Recent Literature Conference Conference

PresentationsPresentations

IV. Narrowing the IV. Narrowing the SelectionSelection

User needs met User needs met Client needs met Client needs met Support RequirementsSupport Requirements

Server needsServer needs Personnel needsPersonnel needs Monetary Cost Monetary Cost

Other ConsiderationsOther Considerations Community Acceptance and Community Acceptance and

ExperiencesExperiences StabilityStability

V. In-Depth Assessment of V. In-Depth Assessment of Selected SoftwareSelected Software

A.A. Put It Through the PacesPut It Through the Paces Install & ConfigureInstall & Configure Pilot ProjectPilot Project Necessary Necessary

CustomizationsCustomizations Patch and/or UpgradePatch and/or Upgrade

V. In-Depth Assessment of V. In-Depth Assessment of Selected SoftwareSelected Software

B. Document and AssessB. Document and Assess1)1) Workflow for IngestionWorkflow for Ingestion

2)2) Processing Steps Processing Steps

3)3) FunctionalityFunctionality Scalability Scalability Batch Support Batch Support Exports Exports Interoperability Interoperability Use Assessment Support Use Assessment Support Usability Usability

V. In-Depth Assessment of V. In-Depth Assessment of Selected SoftwareSelected Software

B. Document and AssessB. Document and Assess4) Difficulty and Time Cost4) Difficulty and Time Cost

Support Personnel Support Personnel Clients Clients UsersUsers

V. In-Depth Assessment of V. In-Depth Assessment of Selected SoftwareSelected Software

C. Project Total CostsC. Project Total Costs Initial Cost Initial Cost Work hour cost per Work hour cost per

item/collectionitem/collection Maintenance, including Maintenance, including

customizationscustomizations UpgradesUpgrades MigrationMigration

V. In-Depth Assessment of V. In-Depth Assessment of Selected SoftwareSelected Software

D. Compare Costs D. Compare Costs to Benefits and to Benefits and Available Available ResourcesResources

VI. SummaryVI. Summary

Selecting an appropriate software Selecting an appropriate software depends on your knowledge of what depends on your knowledge of what you need, what you have to offer, you need, what you have to offer, and what is out there…and what is out there…

Include your technical team when Include your technical team when assessing software, and do not rush assessing software, and do not rush the decision. The more information the decision. The more information you gather, the more intelligent your you gather, the more intelligent your choice will be.choice will be.

Exercise! DSpace Vs. Exercise! DSpace Vs. GreenstoneGreenstone

http://dspace.orghttp://dspace.org http://greenstone.orghttp://greenstone.org

Looking at an example implementation of Looking at an example implementation of each:each:

Compare the interfaces from a user’s Compare the interfaces from a user’s perspective.perspective.

Search optionsSearch options Browse optionsBrowse options Look and FeelLook and Feel

. . . What do you notice?. . . What do you notice?

Exercise! DSpace Vs. Exercise! DSpace Vs. GreenstoneGreenstone

1) You have access to a powerful Unix 1) You have access to a powerful Unix server with several terabytes of server with several terabytes of space. You need a system to use for space. You need a system to use for an institutional repository, where an institutional repository, where faculty can deposit their research faculty can deposit their research findings (from their own desktops!), findings (from their own desktops!), for search and retrieval open to all, for search and retrieval open to all, or only within their department. or only within their department. Which system do you want?Which system do you want?

2) You have been scanning materials, 2) You have been scanning materials, particularly images, and you have particularly images, and you have some minimal metadata, but you some minimal metadata, but you don’t have any servers. Yet your don’t have any servers. Yet your dean wants these collections up on dean wants these collections up on the web. You’re willing to hire the web. You’re willing to hire professional help and hosting, but professional help and hosting, but right now, you can’t afford more than right now, you can’t afford more than $300 per month. Which system do $300 per month. Which system do you want? you want?

Exercise! DSpace Vs. Exercise! DSpace Vs. GreenstoneGreenstone

Exercise! DSpace Vs. Exercise! DSpace Vs. GreenstoneGreenstone

3) You have fairly old Windows operating 3) You have fairly old Windows operating systems with only a few GB of space on systems with only a few GB of space on your Windows servers. You are willing your Windows servers. You are willing to install clients on the machines of the to install clients on the machines of the staff who will be uploading batches of staff who will be uploading batches of prepared collections from your library’s prepared collections from your library’s digitization effort. You simply want digitization effort. You simply want them to be available open access to them to be available open access to anyone browsing the web. Which anyone browsing the web. Which system do you want?system do you want?

Exercise! DSpace Vs. Exercise! DSpace Vs. GreenstoneGreenstone

4) Your library staff and clientele are 4) Your library staff and clientele are Hispanic, and English is rarely Hispanic, and English is rarely spoken; all your cataloging is in spoken; all your cataloging is in Spanish. Your funding is poor, so Spanish. Your funding is poor, so staffing is short. You will need to staffing is short. You will need to put files online in batches. What’s put files online in batches. What’s your best option, and why? your best option, and why?

Exercise! DSpace Vs. Exercise! DSpace Vs. GreenstoneGreenstone

5) It's very important that your collection 5) It's very important that your collection remains available for an extended remains available for an extended period of time. You want persistent period of time. You want persistent identifiers for your materials, so that identifiers for your materials, so that users can always access them. You users can always access them. You also want some measure of also want some measure of preservation. What's your best option? preservation. What's your best option? Does either system keep backups for Does either system keep backups for you, or migrate materials when their you, or migrate materials when their formats become obsolete?formats become obsolete?

Exercise! DSpace Vs. Exercise! DSpace Vs. GreenstoneGreenstone

6) You have a collection of mixed 6) You have a collection of mixed materials (PDF, photographs, materials (PDF, photographs, HTML, book page-turners), and HTML, book page-turners), and want to be able to offer searching want to be able to offer searching and results display with thumbnails and results display with thumbnails from a single interface. In addition, from a single interface. In addition, you would like to support searching you would like to support searching across collections. Which system across collections. Which system supports this best?supports this best?

More LinksMore Links

DSpaceDSpace Home: Home: http://dspace.orghttp://dspace.org Wiki: Wiki: http://wiki.dspace.orghttp://wiki.dspace.org Sourceforge: Sourceforge: http://sourceforge.net/projects/dspacehttp://sourceforge.net/projects/dspace MIT: MIT: http://libraries.mit.edu/dspace-mit/index.htmlhttp://libraries.mit.edu/dspace-mit/index.html

GreenstoneGreenstone Home: Home: http://greenstone.orghttp://greenstone.org Wiki: Wiki: http://wiki.greenstone.orghttp://wiki.greenstone.org Sourceforge: Sourceforge:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/greenstonehttp://sourceforge.net/projects/greenstone