a digital library survival kit
DESCRIPTION
UCD Digital Library is a repository of digitised cultural heritage data (photographs, maps, printed documents, archival materials, artefacts, etc.) and research data arising from activity at UCD and elsewhere. It is also an organisation with expertise in digital content management and preservation, steadily developed over the past decade. By cultivating strong working relationships with a broad cohort of content providers, adopting open source technologies where possible and harnessing the expertise and enthusiasm of a very diverse in-house team, UCD Digital Library has successfully met challenges head-on in a fast-paced technical environment. All of this has taken place in a landscape of diminishing library budgets and resources. This lightning talk will serve as a use case for under-resourced academic digital libraries and data curation organisations, offering a “survival kit” and providing accessible best practices to address and overcome common challenges.TRANSCRIPT
A Digital Library Survival Tool-Kit
Peter Clarke & Audrey Drohan
UCD Digital Library
Introduction
By cultivating strong working relationships with a broad
cohort of content providers, adopting open source technologies where possible and harnessing the expertise and
enthusiasm of a very diverse in-house team, UCD Digital
Library has successfully met challenges head-on in a fast-paced technical environment. All of this has taken place in a
landscape of diminishing library budgets and resources.
UCD Digital Library • Building on old IVRLA Project (PRTLI Cycle 3)
• 2005 to present
• 62 collections online
• 30 collections in our workflow
• 910,542 (and counting) digital files
• 21 repositories (internal UCD and external)
http://digital.ucd.ie
"Watercolour painting of 'The Abbey & Round Tower at Kildare' (Co. Kildare) / by
Rev. Seymour " held by UCD Library, Special Collections.
"A Survey of the City Harbour Bay and Environs of Dublin .../ by John Rocque"
held by UCD Library, Special Collections.
"Photograph of Taoiseach de Valera reviewing a young troop (F.C.A.)"
held by UCD Archives. © Irish Press
The Challenges
Image courtesy of rcooldesign at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of Rendeeplumia at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Staffing
Budget
Technology
Building a new system • Build your own (if you can)
• Use open source (good community support)
• Adopt (open) standards
"Photograph of "Turning the Sod" ceremony at UCD : Éamon de Valera after turning the
sod, Belfield" held by UCD Archives © Irish Times, Ltd. Digital image: © University
College Dublin, published by UCD Library, University College Dublin,
http://digital.ucd.ie/view/ivrla:34890
Fedora-Commons
Hydra Content Models
MODS
EAD
Bootstrap
Linked Data
APIs
Enhanced functionality UCD Digital Library utilises many open source applications,
APIs and services.
UCD Digital Library also offers a number of Data Services
APIs:
• Geospatial Data API
• IIIF Images API
• Linked Data API
• OpenSearch API
• Quantitative Data API
• unAPI
Creating a workflow
Staff • Skeleton staff
"Letter from Gerard Manley Hopkins (Oak Hill, Hampstead, N. W.) to Alexander
William Mowbray Baillie, discussing his thoughts on being home;... " held by
UCD Library, Special Collections. Digital image: © University College Dublin,
published by UCD Library, University College Dublin,
http://digital.ucd.ie/view/ivrla:3963
• So... we learn lots of new
things, not taught in
Library School
Acronym Bingo!!!
Source Repositories
and Partners
↣ UCD Archives
↣ UCD Library, Special Collections
↣ National Folklore Collection, UCD
↣ UCD Irish Dialect Archive
↣ UCD Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Institute
↣ UCD School of Art History
↣ UCD Classical Museum
↣ UCD School of Geological Sciences
↣ Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation
↣ Urban Modelling Group
↣ UCD School of History & Archives
↣ UCD School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy
↣ Irish Architectural Archive (new)
↣ Dublin Diocesan Archive (new)
↣ UCD Buildings and Services
↣ UCDscholarcast
↣ UCD Humanities Institute
↣ Ancient World Mapping Center
↣ Library of Congress
↣ Prof. Eoin O’Brien
↣ Insight Centre for Data Analytics
Networking • Involve your user community
• Attend conferences and events
• Engage with colleagues ...within your organisation
...within academic community
...within education sector
...within the Library and Archive
communities
"Photograph of Princess Grace of Monaco, in conversation with Frank and Maud Aiken"
held by UCD Archives © Irish Times, Ltd. Digital image: © University College Dublin,
published by UCD Library, University College Dublin, http://digital.ucd.ie/view/ivrla:31280
Seek External Funding
Your toolkit • Open Source Software
• Leverage existing technologies
• Up-skill existing staff
• Create tools in-house
• Seek external funding
• Network with colleagues
• Build relationships with source repositories
Thank You!
• web: digital.ucd.ie
• email: [email protected]
• twitter: @UCDDigital
“If you build it…
...they will come.”