Integrating A Digital Repository System Martin Borchert, Manager, Access Services and Joanna...

Integrating A Digital Repository SystemMartin Borchert,Manager, Access Services andJoanna RichardsonDigital Repository Administrator

Information Services OLT Conference3 November 2004

2Information Services

3Information Services

High Demand – Learning@Griffith

0100020003000400050006000700080009000

2003/1 2004/2 2006

Active courses

With lecturersassignedOrganisations

4Information Services

Sessions – Learning@Griffith

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Feb Apr Jun Aug Oct

Concurrent sessions2004

5Information Services

Data – Learning@Griffith

0102030405060708090

2003 2004

Gigabytes data280K+ attached objects, eg PDFs, PPTs, and general text

6Information Services

Driving Forces at Griffith University• Return on investment / maximise investment

Non-duplication of t&l / other resourcesRe-use; recombine; share

• Risk management / mitigationCopyrightIntellectual propertyArchival history / litigation

7Information Services

LMS and Learning Objects• The course structure of the typical LMS does not

encourage sharing and reuse of learning objects• It encourages duplication• It allows deletion of valuable resources• It is difficult for enforcing copyright• It is difficult to maximise institution’s investment

8Information Services

9Information Services

10Information Services

Griffith University Partnerships Learning@Griffith and learning content

“Hive” is their digital repository software

11Information Services

Digital Repository DefinitionAny collection of resources that are accessible via a

network without prior knowledge of the structure of the collection.

Repositories may hold actual assets or the metadata that describe assets.

IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc – Digital Repositories Specification

12Information Services

Other Related Griffith Needs• Past examination papers• Digitised course readings• ePrints• eScience• Special collections

13Information Services

Past Examination Papers• Least complex objects [arguably]• Already digitised and in PDF• Relatively small collection• Good starting point for developing core metadata• Under the control of INS staff, ie Digitisation and

Distribution

14Information Services

Course Readings• Single storage format (PDF): multiple delivery

formats• Introduces the complexity of copyright• Once again is under the control of INS staff, ie

Digitisation and Distribution

15Information Services

ePrints• Deposit collection of papers that showcases the

research output of Griffith academic staff both before and after peer-reviewed publication

• Already implemented in many Australian universities –using open source software from “eprints.org”

• Link from DEST HERDC data –currently in PeopleSoft—to Hive would be sensible

16Information Services

Special Collections, eg Art Images70,000 slides55,000 records2,000 digital imagesVRA metadata standardLoad to HiveFurther digitisationLibrary collectionsQCA collections

• Teaching and Learning project funding

• Working with QCA

17Information Services

Top Critical Issues

18Information Services

Digital Repositories: An Integration Tool

If we cannot sustain the repositories we create, we will retard our progress towards providing access to digital materials. If collections on which individuals have worked hard are forgotten or neglected, as some already seem to be, we will end up recreating, rediscovering and re-describing materials many times over.

Colin Holden, 2003