CNI: Coalition for Networked Information

Capturing Research Data: A MODS Metadata Application Profile for Institutional Repositories

Grace Agnew
Associate University Librarian
for Digital Library Systems
Rutgers University

Research data is extremely valuable for other researchers to discover and use but inherently difficult to describe.  In common with other primary source materials, research data rarely includes adequate and robust descriptions, to identify the title, the subject matter, etc.  Research data tends to be produced via a complex, collaborative process making creation and ownership of the data difficult to determine.  Context and relationship are also critical for research data. It is important to know the instruments used to capture and analyze the data and to associate ancillary materials, such as lab notes or codebooks, with the appropriate data.  It is also critical to know where, in the context of a larger project, the data has been captured, for example in the third trial of the second experiment.

The Rutgers University Libraries have developed and codified a metadata object description schema (MODS) application profile that is usable by any repository with a full MODS implementation, that documents the content, major life-cycle events and rights associated with the data.  The application profile (AP) includes critical genre information useful for organizing data in a repository or filtering searches.  This presentation will describe the AP and provide a link to its registry for review and reuse by interested colleagues.

http://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/research/

Cost Forecasting Model for New Digitization Projects

Karim Boughida
Associate University Librarian
for Digital Initiatives and Content Management
George Washington University 		 Linda Colet
Project Consultant / President,
DaoPoint Digital, LLC
George Washington University
Martha Whittaker
Director of Content Management
George Washington University		 Dan Chudnov
Director of Scholarly Technology
George Washington University

Current cost model studies in the field (both in the United States and in Europe) are helpful case studies in providing libraries and cultural institutions with an understanding of the cost implications for digitizing book collections. Because these projects are far-reaching and comprehensive, however, they offer up only a broad generalization of what cost variables to consider. To contribute to the dialogue of digitizing library book collections, the George Washington University Libraries will share their cost model with the community, which is based on the current production workflow setup at the Gelman Library using robotic arm technology, and is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and donor contributions.

This presentation will include a description of the current production workflow setup at Gelman; how metrics have been collected to determine cost per page (i.e., data logs, infrastructure and staffing costs, digital preservation, etc.); and a discussion about the forecasting model being developed. The forecasting cost model will provide users with the ability to explore specific cost variables and build a project that would be customized for their budgetary needs. This tool will help institutions determine an approximate cost per page and total project costs. There will be categories (small, medium, large budget) to choose from so different institutions with varying budgets can use the tool. Feedback from participants is encouraged; they will help to improve the cost model to better support the user community of libraries who are preparing for digitization and is encouraged.

 

Presentation

Crowd Sourcing Metadata

Barbara Taranto
Digital Program Director
New York Public Library

 


The New York Public Library recently launched its first foray into crowd sourcing metadata by exposing 40,000 image pages of turn of the century restaurant and cruise ship menus: “What’s On the Menu?” The goal of the project was to widely distribute the transcription of the menu items into a structured and reusable form. The site was exceedingly popular in its first few months.

Recent activity has flattened somewhat, raising issues regarding the public’s appetite for these projects. More importantly, the menus project raised hard questions about the quality of the crowd sourced content, the longevity of the data, and the disposition of the data (e.g. What is it? Is it good enough for our purposes? Should we keep it? If yes, where does it belong?).

This presentation will discuss these issues and propose some alternative views on metadata, user-generated content, and the intersection of the two.

 

http://menus.nypl.org/

DAITSS Digital Preservation System: Re-architected, Re-written, and Open Source

Priscilla Caplan
Assistant Director
Florida Center for Library Automation

DAITSS is a preservation repository application used by the Florida Digital Archive (FDA), a digital repository shared by the eleven universities in the Florida public university system.  After five years in production, DAITSS was completely re-architected and re-written as a set of RESTful Web services, most of which can stand alone for integration with other systems.  The new DAITSS version 2 is also available under a General Public License (GPL), complete with technical and user documentation, a downloadable reference implementation and sample archivable packages.  This presentation will cover the reasons for redesigning DAITSS, the components of DAITSS 2, the implementation and migration experience, and the DAITSS open source project.

Handout (PDF)

Presentation

Data Lifecycle Management

Thorny Staples
Director of Research
and Scientific Data Management
Smithsonian Institution		 Jeremy Kenyon
Reference and Instruction Librarian
University of Idaho
Bruce Godfrey
GIS Specialist
University of Idaho

Towards a Virtual Environment for Supporting Research Activities at the Smithsonian (Staples)

The Smithsonian Institution supports research activities in all aspects of science and cultural heritage in both research institute and museum settings. This presentation will describe a conceptual framework and information architecture for the prototype repository-enabled virtual research environment that is under construction. The goal of the project is to support the researchers to get their information into a trusted repository as the first stage in the information life-cycle, then to be able to manage, analyze and disseminate the information in a linked-data world, retaining ownership and control until they are ready for it to pass to an institution to be curated for the long term. The Fedora/Islandora prototype will be demonstrated.

The Northwest Knowledge Network (NKN):  A Regional Approach to Research Data Life-cycle Management (Kenyon, Godfrey)

To address the data management needs of researchers, advance multi-institutional collaboration, and meet the mandates of funding agencies, the University of Idaho is leading the development and deployment of the Northwest Knowledge Network (NKN). NKN will be a regional data aggregator working closely with academic institutions, state and federal agencies, and aligned partner organizations to provide a regional distributed network of services and tools for data life cycle management. Initial focus is on earth and environmental sciences data.

NKN is aligned with the National Science Foundation-funded Data Observational Network for Earth (DataONE). DataONE provides a national and international framework for access to NKN’s regionally produced data products. An unprecedented degree of regional coordination is necessary in order to support collaborative research involving multiple disciplines and institutions. This means institutions coordinating cyberinfrastructure investments and developing policies and architecture that deconstruct silos and favor both open and limited data access. This presentation will include a discussion of the goals, vision and current progress of the three mission areas of NKN: the data services center, cyberinfrastructure research, and the data-sharing cooperative. These interdependent parts help address the technological, institutional, and fiscal challenges of establishing new distributed cyberinfrastructure serving an international audience and leveraging existing regional institutional investments.

http://goo.gl/6tvLA

Handout (PDF)

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