Cultivating Collaboration: Lessons Learned from the DLF Aquifer Initiative

1. Cultivating Collaboration: Lessons Learned from the DLF Aquifer Initiative Katherine Kott Erstwhile Aquifer Director CNI Spring Task Force Meeting April 7, 2009 CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

2. Why this talk? • Transitions—time to capture learning from Aquifer • Increased importance of collaboration • Collaboration might want to be free… CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

3. Aquifer background • Successor project to Digital Library Federation distributed open digital library (DODL) • Subset of DLF members participated from 2005-2009 CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

4. Why DODL dawdled • Overly ambitious scope/resources • Loose definition/structure not conducive to accomplishing goals CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

5. Aquifer accomplishments • Research and best practices • Metadata guidelines • Tools inventory • Metadata crosswalks • Digital library assessment • Interoperability • American Social History Online (funded project) • Open sources code • Web site and services for scholars CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

6. What made the difference? • Creating a framework • Gathering resources CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

7. Framework for collaboration • Collaborative entrepreneurship—Raymond Miles • Applies to innovation incubation • Suggests explicit attention to structure/process is important for success • Resources for collaboration • Focused attention • Consistent attention over time CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

8. Collaboration or cooperation • "...we suggest that collaboration differs from... cooperation in two main ways. First, cooperation is motivated by the benefits each party expects to receive from sharing ideas, information or resources. Therefore, while cooperative behavior may be enjoyable in its own right, it is primarily extrinsically motivated. Second, because cooperative behavior ultimately involves the pursuit of self-interest, it requires periodic or even continual assessment by each participant of the amount of trust and commitment of the other party…” CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

9. Collaboration • In collaborative relationships, on the other hand, each party is as committed to the other's interests as it is to its own, and this commitment reduces the need for the continual assessment of trust and its implications for how rewards will be divided." Miles, Raymond, et al.. (2005). Collaborative Entrepreneurship. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press.p.40. CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

10. Participation and governance • At a high level, representation • Where the work gets done, skills-based CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

11. Organizing volunteers • Match “organizational” needs with volunteer interests • It is OK to set expectations • Select motivated leaders • Set clear decision processes CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

12. Pooling resources • “We recruited staff we knew, with the skills we needed but the project wasn’t going anywhere. It occurred to us that we needed to check in with the library directors.” CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

13. Awareness of what is going on in participant organizations • Changes in leadership • Changes in staff • Funding cycles • Shifting priorities CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

14. Staying in touch with participants • If you think busy people are reading your email… • Phone calls when obvious changes occur • Focus group enabled us to hear participants talk among themselves about priorities CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

15. Tools don’t make the team—but they help • Face to face meetings • Conference calls • Wikis/blogs/PM/Bug tracking software • Base camp • Confluence • SourceForge CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

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20. More details about lessons learned • DLF Spring Forum in Raleigh, NC • Focus on assessment • Technical development status CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

21. Where is Aquifer now? • Products developed through American Social History Online being maintained by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • Web site • Collections registry • Standards and best practices • MODS metadata guidelines migration to LoC • Other documentation??? CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

22. When the project ends • Individual organizations pick up viable products • Celebrate!!! CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

23. What would we do differently? • Develop awareness of funding cycles • Plan for the end at the beginning CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

24. Open source movement Fedora and DSpace Educopia Institute Open Knowledge Commons LOCKSS Hathi Trust DLF/CLIR Ad hoc groups Ithaka OER Commons Funders? OCLC/RLG Fostering collaboration CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

25. From innovation to development to production service • Share information about processes that work as well as accomplishments with the community CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009

26. Thank you for your interest • Questions or comments? • For more information--kkott@stanford.edu CNI Spring Task Force Meeting 2009