Collection-level description: from theory to practice Minerva project meeting Paris, 24 January 2003 Pete Johnston UKOLN, University of Bath Bath, BA2 7AY UKOLN is supported by: URL

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January CLD : from theory to practice Collection Description Focus Why collection-level description? –resource discovery –resource management Some recent CLD initiatives

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January Collection Description Focus Improve consistency, compatibility of approaches to collection-level description Funded by –British Library –Research Libraries Programme (RSLP) –enhanced access to/improved management of (library/archive) collections for academic researchers –Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) –integrated access to distributed digital resources for Higher/Further Education community –Re:source: libraries/museums/archives –disclosure, access and management –cross-domain collaboration

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January Collection Description Focus Based at UKOLN, University of Bath Experience of RSLP Collection Description project ( ) –model (Michael Heaney) and schema (Andy Powell) Benefit from collaboration with –Interoperability Focus –JISC Information Environment architecture team –NOF-Digitise Technical Advisory Service

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January Collection Description Focus Developing consensus –Gathering information –Building a community –Facilitating dialogue Disseminating good practice –Organising events –workshops, briefing days –Giving presentations –Publishing articles and papers –Developing training resources –recommendations, guidelines

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January Collection Description Focus Supporting implementers –point of contact, advice –support for CLD in programmes Providing tools –mappings Maintaining links with related activity –funders have (primarily) UK focus –CIMI (museums), DCMI, Minerva etc

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January Why collection-level description? Enable collection provider to –disclose information about collections to users Enable user to –discover/locate collections –select collections to explore/search on basis of summary description –compare collections as broadly similar objects (even where items heterogeneous) –understand conditions of access & use –interpret collections Enable software agents to –select collections to search on behalf of user –control searches across multiple collections

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January Collection of physical objects Collection of metadata records Collection of books Collection of digital items Database of CLDs CLDs provide high-level “map” of landscape for user, researcher, visitor….

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January Why collection-level description? Enable collection provider to –manage own collections –control/audit/review holdings internally –identify collections at risk –assess priorities for item-level cataloguing –manage in collaboration with other providers –identify, record, share information on strengths and weaknesses –suggest areas where co-ordination possible –inform strategic planning –institutional, cross-institutional, regional, sectoral, national, ….

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January NOF-Digitise –making heritage (more) accessible –£50m content creation programme –supporting strategy for social inclusion, lifelong learning –digitised objects, learning materials Portal –CLD as overview, entry point –subset of RSLP CD schema –controlled vocabularies –CLD reusable in other services NOF-digtise programme

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January The JISC Information Environment JISC seeking to provide more seamless discovery / access Distributed resources, heterogeneous items The “portal” problem –Portal constructs a “landscape” of resources for user –Needs to find/identify relevant content collections –What digital collections are available? –Needs to access metadata records through appropriate structured network service –What network services available for collection? –What interface/protocol used by service? –What instance-specific parameters?

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January The JISC IE service registry Service registry as part of framework of machine-oriented services Database of –Collection-level descriptions –Service descriptions –informational services – access to collections –transactional services – e.g.authentication, resolution services, terminology mapping, schema mapping etc Primarily for use by software tools (e.g. portals, aggregators, brokers)

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January End-user is “automatically” presented with relevant resources through relevant channels) User Profiles Resolver The JISC IE service registry The vision…. Collection Description Service Description Service Registry Web Content End-user Authentication Authorisation Portal Broker or Aggregator

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January The JISC IE service registry Pilot project established at MIMAS, University of Manchester Fits with Web services paradigm, but (for pilot)… –…informational services, but not transactional services –…probably no “generic” SOAP-based services described (will include SRW services) –…probably no UDDI interface –Concerns about complexity

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January From theory to practice Emergence of useful services built on CLD “Surveying the landscape” CLD not a substitute for item-level description –but a complement to item-level description RSLP model/schema proving useful basis Granularity issues –What is (and is not) a collection? Collection/catalogue/service relationships Terminologies/vocabularies CLD and (re)use: purpose, audience

Minerva project meeting, Paris, 24 January Acknowledgements UKOLN is funded by Resource: the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) of the UK higher and further education funding councils, as well as by project funding from the JISC and the European Union. UKOLN also receives support from the University of Bath where it is based.

COMING SOON!!!! Collection Description Focus 5th Regional Workshop 30th January 2003 at Hughes Hall, Cambridge Theme - User Requirements