JISC

Final Report now available

Repositories Start-Up Project

This project will set up an open access digital repository at the University of York for resources in a variety of formats, including sound, archives, film and images, to complement both the University’s research publications in the White Rose Research Online repository and the digital teaching materials in the University’s Yorkshare VLE. SAFIR will investigate both open source and commercial software options to determine which is most appropriate for the range of formats and requirements identified by the project, and which conforms to current standards for interoperability within the JISC Information Environment. The project is part of a larger activity to develop a digital library service for the University of York that will contribute to the University strategy for storage, preservation, retrieval and dissemination of digital assets.

Aims and objectives

The overall aim of the SAFIR project is to set up a multimedia research repository or repositories to provide a digital library service for the University of York.

Specific objectives include:

• survey user needs and establish the scope and range of materials to be included in the repository
• evaluate available software in the light of user needs, interoperability standards and the JISC information environment
• choose the most suitable, cost-effective software to meet user needs and any access control required for rights management
• establish policies for repository management e.g. criteria for inclusion, metadata schemas, data types covered
• implement the repository(ies) and ensure interoperability with other local and national repositories
• assess copyright restrictions on identified resources for inclusion in the repository
• add resources to the repository with standard metadata

Project methodology

SAFIR is divided into a number of work packages covering project management, requirements analysis, software evaluation, repository installation, metadata and policy development, and dissemination/evaluation. The project will be managed by the Project Manager, liaising with the Project Director, with support from the Project Team. The project team report to the University’s Strategic Information Projects Implementation Group (SIPIG) and has a Steering Group and Advisory Group.

Anticipated outputs and outcomes

• Project plan
• Progress report(s)
• User requirements specification
• Software recommendation
• Policies, metadata profile(s)
• Repository with content from the history of art image collections
• Final report

Technology / Standards used

The project aims to support: OAI-PMH for metadata harvesting; Dublin Core and other metadata standards; W3C standards for web sites; RSS/ATOM for syndication and publishing; other open standards, such as those for content packaging and search as appropriate.

Lead institution

• University of York

Email this page Bookmark & share this page