Roger Smith
Interim AUL Collection Services, Director Digital Library Development Program
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Library has established a Virtual Reading Room (VRR) as a function built into its Samvera Digital Asset Management (DAMS) infrastructure. The core UCSD DAMS historically provided three levels of access control: open access, campus IP restriction, and curator only. The Special Collections and Archives Program identified a need to provide access to digital collections that have use restrictions that did not fit into the DAMS access model. A specification was developed that called for the assignment of temporary access credentials to researchers for specific collections or objects. Download is restricted, a click-through agreement articulates use expectations, and files are watermarked. Requests are made via an API integration with the Aeon platform. Development of this function required a collaborative effort between the in-house development group, a regional consultant with expertise in Samvera repository code (Notch 8), and Atlas Systems’ Aeon developers. We have already digitized and made available two collections that were highly requested in our physical reference space. We hope that we can share our experience with institutions interested in such an access model for restricted digital content.