Hosting Hubs Update: Services, Pricing, and Highlights

Sandra McIntyre, Director, and Rebekah Cummings, Assistant Director

January 7, 2014

BACKGROUNDMWDL Distributed Network Infrastructure

Partnership Agreement

• Available here at mwdl.org

MWDL Partnership Agreement

• Created March 14, 2008• Not a legal contract but a

“statement of intent.”• Outlines responsibilities of

partners, hubs, and MWDL as well as goals, governance, and guidelines.

Infrastructure

Three tiered model• Collections Partners Tier

(“Partners”) –Own and manage collections

• Hosting Tier (“Hubs”) - Host the digital materials

• Central Aggregating Server Tier (MWDL) – Harvest metadata from hubs

Hub Levels

Three levels of Hosting Hubs (Tier 2) • Level 1: Contributing Institutions –

Host their own collections and share at least one collection with MWDL.

• Level 2: Regional Hosting Hubs – Host material from at least one other institution.

• Level 3: Full-Service Hosting Hubs – Provide digitization services as well as hosting services to partners.

Model 1: Contributing

Institutions

Contributing Institution:• Curates own content• Assigns own metadata• Digitizes own material (or contracts privately) • Has its own server and DAMS• Opens up its own collections for harvest

Model 2: Regional Hosting Hub

Partners:• Curate collections• Assign metadata• Digitize own

materials

Regional Hosting Hub:• Hosts the digital

collections of at least one additional partner

• Trains partners in using DAMS

Model 3: Full-Service Hosting Hub

Partners:• Curate collections• Assign metadata

Full-service Hosting Hub:• Hosts digital collections • Provides digitization services• Trains partners in using

DAMS

MWDL Tiered Infrastructure

Services provided

Collection Partner

Level 1:Contributi

ng Institutio

n

Level 2:Regional Hosting

Hub

Level 3:Full-

Service Hosting

Hub

MWDL:Aggregating Tier

Curation of materials ✚

Metadata assignment ✚ ✚

Digitization ✚ ✚

Hosting in DAMS ✚ ✚ ✚

Training ✚ ✚ ✚

Harvesting metadata ✚

Central search portal ✚

Standards ✚

List of hosting hubs/ repositoriesCurrently harvested:

• University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, CONTENTdm Repository

• BYU, CONTENTdm Server Repository• BYU, Finding Aid Repository• UNLV, CONTENTdm Repository• Idaho State Historical Society,

CONTENTdm Repository• Arizona Memory Project• UNR Libraries Digital Conservancy• Utah State University, Digital

Commons• Utah State University, Digital Library• Utah State Digital Archives• Utah State Archives and Records

Service Indexes• Southern Utah University, Sherratt

Digital Library Collections• Weber State University Stewart Library

Digital Collections• Utah Valley University Digital Archives• Salt Lake Community College Digital

Collections• Utah Digital Archives Finding Aids

In Progress/Not yet harvested:• UNLV Digital Commons• University of Idaho Digital Collections• Northern Arizona University Cline

Library Special Collections and Archives• Montana Memory Project• Utah Division of Arts and Museums

Digital Repository• Utah Education Network College eMedia• Family Search International• LDS Church History Library• Stacks: The Idaho Digital Repository• Boise State University• Snow College Digital Repository• BYU Howard W. Hunter Law Library• Highway 89

On hold due to technical issues:• Utah Government Publications Online

Digital Library

Benefits of Tiered Network

• People who are closest to the materials curate collections and assign metadata

• Provides flexible, scalable infrastructure

• Consolidates equipment and expertise

• Reinforces standards and policies• Creates a platform for collaborative

work

Standardized Price List

Metadata Standards for Interoperability

• Created by a 12-member task force of UALC Digitization Committee

• Qualified Dublin Core• Metadata mappings

to QDC from other systems

• 8 required fields; 2 other mandatory-if-applicable fields

Training

• 2008: tied to Hub-Partner relationship

• Other options:– MWDL centralized training – webinars

and workshops– MWDL staff on-site training at Partner

sites– Third-party training organizations

GOVERNANCE AND FUNDING

MWDL Distributed Network

Governance

• Selection of materials is up to Partners.

• Hubs are independent and self-managing, select services to offer to Partners.

• MWDL is governed by UALC Council, with policies recom-mended by UALC Digitization Committee. – In-person Committee meetings semi-

annually – Virtual meetings of task forces, ongoing

Current Task Forces

Active:• Geospatial

Discovery Task Force• DAMS Interest Group• Outreach Task Force• Training Task Force• Pioneers in Your Attic

Forming/re-forming:• Institutional

Repositories Task Force

• Digital Preservation Task Force

• Data Curation Task Force

• Linked Data Task Force

Governance

UALC

Hub

NewHub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

UALC

Hub

19 repositories

NewHub

NewHub

NewHub

NewHub

NewHub

NewHub

NewHub

NewHub

NewHub

NewHub

11 repositories

Funding

• LSTA: Start-up funds in early 2000s for four hub servers and training

• Partners: discounted fees to Hubs for services; no fees to MWDL

• UALC: $116,000 in 2009 for Ex Libris Primo “piggyback” license

• UALC: approx. $90,000/yr. in Utah State funds– Director position– Outreach supplies and travel

Funding

• In-kind support from J. Willard Marriott Library at University of Utah– Discovery Services support (Primo)– Other IT support: servers, systems, etc.– Offices, computers, and telephones– Financial Management services– Human Resources services– Librarian appointments

Funding

• Digital Public Library of America: Grants– 3 other staff positions through Dec.

2014– 1+ position part-time through Aug. 2015– Direct costs for program activities

through Aug. 2015

CHANGES2008-2013

Changes

• Growth in network• New funding• New staff and capacities• Changes in digital environment

New infrastructure options

• No hosting hub: Partner works directly with CONTENTdm Quick Start program

• No regional digitization center: All local digitization with inexpensive scanners

• No scanning required, with intense metadata work: EAD finding aids

• No work by Partners: centralized projects

Continuing Change

• Need for digital preservation services• New standards needed, e.g.,

geospatial metadata and preservation metadata

• Additional collaboration opportunities

Upcoming Challenges

• Increased numbers of partners• Proliferation of service models• Training gaps• Lack of sustainable funding for

MWDL core services

Services providedCollection Partner

Level 1:Contributi

ng Institution

Level 2:Regional Hosting

Hub

Level 3:Full-

Service Hosting

Hub

MWDL:Aggregatin

g Tier

Curation of materials ✚

Metadata assignment ✚ ✚

Digitization ✚ ✚

Hosting in DAMS ✚ ✚ ✚

Training ✚ ✚ ✚

Harvesting metadata ✚

Central search portal ✚

Sharing with DPLA ✚

Standards ✚

Platform for collabora’n ✚

Digital preservation ? ? ? ? ?

Hubs Survey

• Informally interviewed 20 hub representatives from 18 different institutions.

• Three main questions:– Would you prefer an in-person

or virtual hubs meeting?– What would you like to

get out of a hubs meeting?– What topics would you like to

discuss?

Hubs Survey:Question 1

Would you prefer an you prefer an in-person or virtual hubs meeting?• 100% of respondents said that some

in-person element was necessary to accomplish our goals.

Hub Survey: Question 2

What would you like to get out of a hubs meeting?1. Networking with colleagues2. Continued training3. Clarification on the responsibilities of hubs and

hub status4. Forum to talk about what people are doing and

possible collaborations 5. An updated price list

Hub Survey: Question 3

What topics would you like to discuss?1. CONTENTdm and other alternatives2. Best practices3. Geospatial and rights metadata4. Background of MWDL and where we are going

(including partnership with DPLA) 5. Partnership Agreement

Questions for consideration

• Does this infrastructure still work?• Is there anything that isn’t clear?• How do we feel about the current

definition of “hub”? • If we were to take on many more small

partners, would this system still work? • Are there additional services that you

would like to see MWDL provide? That hubs should provide?

LOOKING FORWARDWhat will work for the next 5-6 years?

Looking forward

• We’ve looked at…– our current

infrastructure– important

developments since 2008

Hubs Meeting

• March 2014 (exact date TBD) • Salt Lake City, UT• Doodle poll for 1½ days• MWDL decision-making

– Partnership Agreement – Digitization Price List– Future services models– Future funding models

• Opportunity to connect with regional hub managers– Share best practices– Find out what other digital libraries are doing– Discuss important digital library topics

Hosting Hubs Update Webinar #2

• February 13, 2014• Hosting Hubs Discussion: Evaluating

the Infrastructure of the MWDL Network

Revising MWDL Partnership Agrmt

• Shared Google Doc to record ideas, suggestions, and proposed language

• Partnership Agreement Draft

Questions?

• Sandra McIntyreDirector(801) 585-0969 sandra.mcintyre@utah.edu

• Rebekah CummingsAssistant Director/Outreach Librarian (801) 587-8893 rebekah.cummings@utah.edu