Virtual Collections VIRTUAL COLLECTIONS LDI Architecture Meeting, Tuesday, July 19

Virtual Collections Purpose of this Meeting Overview of Virtual Collections Requirements and Architecture based on Requirements Gathering Meetings 1. Open Collections 2. Maps Collection 3. Archives/Latin American Collection 4. DCSSC

Virtual Collections Virtual Collections Definition OIS System to allow Web-based collection-level search and display of metadata (with links to digital objects) harvested from various Harvard systems and collected together into a single topical collection.

Virtual Collections Three Major Aspects of Virtual Collections Internal Harvesting: Metadata harvested from Harvard systems and loaded into separate, contained Virtual Collection system (in TED/Tamino) Virtual Collection Subjects: Collection curator can create a controlled list of subject terms, distinct from any subjects contained in the harvested records Integration and Customization: Virtual Collection “services” (search, browse, results display, full record display) are integrated into Collection’s external Web site; Collection can customize appearance of these with XSL (and/or CSS) stylesheets. Prototype; BrowsePrototype Browse

Virtual Collections Virtual Collections base on TED TED = Templated Database Tamino Native XML DB Java Servlet/JSP (Struts) Tomcat Web/Application Server XML Schema driven –drives how records are structured and displayed in the UI

Virtual Collections Why TED? Reuse of existing functionality –Existing system for creating collections –Maintenance interface –Batch Loader XML based –Harvesting in XML matches with storing as XML, conversion via XSL –XML/XSL model for presentation possible

Virtual Collections Six Modules of Virtual Collections Collection Definition and Setup Internal Harvesting Collection Maintenance UI – Search, Browse and Display UI- Web Site Integration and Customization OAI-PMH Data Provider

Virtual Collections Collection Definition and Setup Closely Follows TED Setup Setup covers public UI and Maintenance Different setup for Standalone versus Integrated Sites –Integrated sites need no configuration for container (left navigation, header, footer) XML Schema definition: less variability per collection than TED

Virtual Collections Collection Definition and Setup Schema Definition Four main sections ** –MODS Metadata standard across collections richer data than Dublin Core maps nicely with MARC, VIA; (HGL mappable) –Virtual Collection Subjects ** changes for each collection (not required) restricts non-MODS subjects allowed in records

Virtual Collections Collection Definition and Setup Schema Definition, Cont'd. Four main sections, cont'd –TED Markup standard across collections defines search, browse, display fields –Admin Section standard across collections MODS Schemas and VC Subject Schemas imported into Collection schema

Virtual Collections Internal Harvesting Uses OAI-PMH Data Provider, partially implemented for getRecord HOLLIS –Aleph Data Provider (marc 21) + Xserver for 856 field ** VIA –will return top-level records, no surrogates HGL –FGDC -> MARC21 -> MODS

Virtual Collections Internal Harvesting, cont'd XSL Stylesheets (Crosswalks) used to convert original XML form to MODS ** Harvesting application –reads flat file of system/id pairs –file can be initialized from “Save List” and Portfolio functions of HOLLIS and VIA, resp. –file can be generated as report from Collection 690 subjects matching VC Subject list included as VC Subjects

Virtual Collections Collection Maintenance Interface Record Maintenance –Add, modify, delete records Virtual Collection Subject Maintenance –modify subject term list in XML Schema via Tamino Java API –cascades subject changes to records Harvested vs. non-Harvested Records –only VC Subjects are editable for harvested records

Virtual Collections UI- Search, Browse, Display (Default) Uses TED technology at middle tier –control of requests/responses –interaction with Tamino DB VC adds layer of XML/XSL for presentation (UI) layer –DB results already in XML, can be intercepted and styled with XSL for presentation

Virtual Collections UI- Search, Browse, Display, cont’d (Default) Search fields map to MODS elements General Anywhere (Keyword) search Subjects Options: –MODS + Virtual Collection Subjects in Subject Keyword –Virtual Collection Subjects in multiselect dropdown –XSL Stylesheets to show either or both **

Virtual Collections UI- Search, Browse, Display, cont’d (Default) Browse * * –Subject, Title, Author/Creator –Subject either Virtual Collection Subjects if present, or MODS subjects Results Display –Title, Author/Creator, Date –Sorting options: Title, Author/Creator, Date

Virtual Collections UI- Search, Browse, Display, cont’d (Default) Full Record Display ** –All MODS fields –Virtual Collection Subjects fielded separately –Link to Digital Object if present –Link back to original source (HOLLIS, VIA, HGL)

Virtual Collections UI – Integration/Customization Multiple levels of collection 1.Standalone 2.Integrated a.using default stylesheets b.Using customized stylesheets

Virtual Collections UI – Integration/Customization, cont’d Standalone Sites ** –Container (left nav, header/footer) as well as content hosted at OIS (as modified TED) –Minimal customization of container, with link to additional content Integrated Sites –OIS Virtual Collection Content pulled into IFrame on external Web Site –VC Content = search screen, browse, results, full record

Virtual Collections UI – Integration/Customization, cont’d Integrated Sites, cont’d ** –Container (left nav, header/footer) and any additional content responsibility of Collection, and is hosted externally –Custom XSL (and or CSS) Stylesheets can be written to overwrite default stylesheets –OIS provides template for IFrame container, as well as XSL stylesheet for 4 types of content