Summaries for digital curation course

 

Data collection and digital repositories

Digital repositories

Digital repositories are digital platforms used to store and manage digital information. Various types of resources are managed in digital repositories, including documents, images, videos, datasets, audio files, and other digital materials (Khan et al, 2022). Digital repositories rely on various tools and technologies for effective storage, management, and dissemination of digital content. The first technology commonly used is DSpace. This is an open-source software program that is used to create and develop an institutional repository. These are commonly used in academic institutions where they are used to support the preservation of scholarly works. Dspace accommodates the information in various formats such as  PDFs, images, and others. Dspace offers opportunities for users to access and download information resources (Verdugo et al, 2020). 

Video link provides a brief description: See the video

One example of the repository developed using Dspace is the KUHeS repository. (see the link below)

https://nkhokwe.kuhes.ac.mw/home

Figure 1: Interface for the digital repository for KUHES Library, developed using DSpace

Fedora is another repository software suite that facilitates the administration and distribution of digital assets (Griffith, 2022). Frequently utilised for intricate information and content models, this adaptable repository design emphasises digital preservation.

Greenstone is another technology used to develop a repository.  It is intended for educational institutions, universities, libraries, public service organisations, and UNESCO partner communities that want to create their own digital libraries, particularly in developing nations (Elaiess, 2022).  Greenstone has been greatly improved such that it is compatible with an Android server version that allows the digital library to run independently on an Android device. This strengthens usability and its adoption (Elaiess, 2022).   

These platforms, to be effective in managing various data, require the ingestion of various types of records or data for institutions.

 

Data collection for digital repositories

Data collection for the repositories involves collecting documents as well as data. One of the ways for collecting data in repositories is through ingestion. Ingestion involves uploading content into the repositories. For instance, an institutional repository at the university may enable the postgraduate students to upload their final approved theses. Additionally, the faculty members may be given rights to upload their published manuscripts into an institutional repository.

Assigning the metadata is another strategy used to gather data into the repositories. The metadata assignment is the process through which data about data is provided (Manninen, 2018). It involves providing metadata such as author details, title of the item, date of publication, and identifiers. These two key strategies plays a role in ensuring collection of data for the repository

 

References

Khan, N., Thelwall, M., & Kousha, K. (2022). Are data repositories fettered? A survey of current practices, challenges and future technologies. Online Information Review, 46(3), 483-502.

Elaiess, R. The Capability of Greenstone Digital Library Software in Building and Delivering Efficient Services to End Users: A Case Study

Griffith, A. (2022). Fedora-An Open Source Digital Preservation Solution. https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1047&context=mirl

Manninen, L. (2018). Describing data: A review of metadata for datasets in the digital commons institutional repository platform: Problems and recommendations. Journal of Library Metadata, 18(1), 1-11

Verdugo, P., Astudillo-Rodriguez, C., Verdugo, J., Lima, J. F., & Cedillo, S. (2020, July). Documentation and scientific archiving: Digital repository. In International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (pp. 296-302). Cham: Springer International Publishing