250 likes | 379 Views
The REMAP Project Using a digital repository to support the embedding of records management and digital preservation within the institution. Fedora at OR08 3 rd April 2008 Richard Green, Chris Awre (University of Hull) Iain Wallace (Spoken Word Services, Glasgow Caledonian University).
E N D
The REMAP ProjectUsing a digital repository to support the embedding of records management and digital preservation within the institution • Fedora at OR08 • 3rd April 2008 • Richard Green, Chris Awre (University of Hull) • Iain Wallace (Spoken Word Services, Glasgow Caledonian University)
Outline • Hull’s vision of an institutional repository • RepoMMan: the ‘private’ repository • REMAP: publication and the ‘public’ repository • REMAP use cases - RMDP • Events and alerts • Progress
Setting the scene • The REMAP Project builds on Hull’s successful RepoMMan Project; both funded • The institutional repository will offer access to a wide range of university materials - covering research, learning & teaching, and administration • Hull’s vision of an institutional repository includes private areas where users can develop materials before possible publication • RepoMMan developed a BPEL-orchestrated, Web-Services driven interface to allow users easily to interact with their private area(s)
User needs User needs analysis revealed they want: • Storage (backed up) • Access (from anywhere) • Management (sharing, versioning etc) • Some want preservation for a very wide range of file types
Repository overview • The institutional repository is actually two instances of Fedora 2.2.1 (private and public facing) • Public areas exposed through web and portal using Muradora, will also be exposed into VLE/VRE (Sakai) • Private areas managed by RepoMMan tool through University portal
iVia metadata tool Title Creator Description Key phrases Proper names and Capitalisation Language [Note: Screenshot taken from the Data Fountains demonstrator, not the RepoMMan interface]
The RepoMMan tool • The tool appears much like an ftp interface • The left-hand area is a view of the local computer • The right-hand area is a view of the user’s repository space masquerading as a file structure • In fact a Fedora repository supporting versioning etc. The ‘folders’ are Fedora collections
The RepoMMan tool • Buttons down the right allow for ‘publication’ to a queue for the visible (non-private) repository • At ‘publication’ text objects have descriptive metadata added automatically (iVia metadata tool from Data Fountains) which the user can edit • REMAP enhances this publication process
REMAP overview • REMAP is an enhancement to the publication process and to the lifecycle of the object thereafter • Content in the institutional repository (research, learning & teaching, administration etc) cannot necessarily be published and left alone. For instance: • Some material has a natural lifecycle (handbooks etc) • Other material may become obsolete (content or format)
REMAP overview • REMAP allows us to embed time-driven workflows into an object • Supports aspects of records management and digital preservation (RMDP) in the public-facing repository • By extension, supports development work (possibly multi-party development) in the private repository
REMAP use cases • Range of use cases investigated in some detail: • Preparation of committee papers by Committee Section • Past examination papers as learning resources • Learning and Teaching Programme approvals • University Register of Policies and Procedures • University Quality Handbook • The RepoMMan publication process • Support for Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) • Digital Archives at the University of Hull • RMDP for Spoken Word Services (large audio-visual archive)
REMAP use cases • Three categories of RMDP alert identified: • Events 1: FYI, this has just happened • The item you submitted for publishing is now available at http://..... • Events 2: This has happened, that needs to be done • An item (details) has been deposited in the accession queue and needs attention • Dates 1: It is now xx days since you requested deposit of... The deadline of dd/mm/yy has passed • Dates 2: Specified lifespan reached. Hide? • Status: The repository contains nn objects of filetype zzz. • This is becoming obsolete
REMAP development sequence • RepoMMan publication process • Requires only passive messaging • ETD and past undergraduate exam papers • ETD – embargo date reached? Expose? • Exams – lifespan reached: Hide? Extend? • Register of Policies and Procedures • Requires periodic review and management of the review workflow • Digital Archives • The needs of long-term preservation; use of external Web Services eg PRONOM • Spoken Word Services • Complex workflow embracing all the above
REMAP Methodology • As objects are submitted to a publishing queue each will have an ‘flags’ datastream added • Flags datastream written in iCAL (xCAL) • Messages/alerts etc managed by Darwin Calendar Server • Flags datastream in the Fedora object means that the system can be reconstructed in the event of a crash
Fedora objects in the staging area and beyond contain an ‘events’ datastream in iCAL
Manipulating events • Some events may be automatically added and some users will be able to add/edit events through an appropriate interface – maybe:
Alerts • Alerts and messages can potentially be in a range of forms – users might set a preference (e-mail, RSS, ...) • Alerts will be managed and manageable: • Multiple alerts will be grouped (the summer 2005 chemistry papers need attention – alert linked to the Fedora collection object) • Responses can be grouped (hide all, hide none, hide all but these etc)
Scalability • We believe that the process will be scalable from straightforward alerts (information messages) • ...to moderately complex workflows (Register of Policies and Procedures) • ...to very complex procedures (Spoken Word Services workflow)
Progress • Currently working on the ‘infrastructure’: Calendar Server and Web Services integration • Simple alerts in early summer • Simple alerts and responses early autumn • Complex alerts and responses autumn/winter • Completion: March 2009
Contacts and websites • Hull Institutional Repository: http://edocs.hull.ac.uk • REMAP website: http://www.hull.ac.uk/remap • Contact: • Richard Green: r.green@hull.ac.uk • Chris Awre: c.awre@hull.ac.uk • Iain Wallace (SWS): iain.wallace@gcal.ac.uk • Simon Lamb (Senior Developer): s.lamb@hull.ac.uk