1 The REMAP Project Using a digital repository to support the embedding of records management and digital preservation within the institution Fedora at OR08 3 rd April 2008 Richard Green, Chris Awre (University of Hull) Iain Wallace (Spoken Word Services, Glasgow Caledonian University)

2 Outline  Hull’s vision of an institutional repository  RepoMMan: the ‘private’ repository  REMAP: publication and the ‘public’ repository  REMAP use cases - RMDP  Events and alerts  Progress

3 Setting the scene The REMAP Project builds on Hull’s successful RepoMMan Project; both funded The institutional repository will offer access to a wide range of university materials - covering research, learning & teaching, and administration Hull’s vision of an institutional repository includes private areas where users can develop materials before possible publication RepoMMan developed a BPEL-orchestrated, Web-Services driven interface to allow users easily to interact with their private area(s)

4 User needs User needs analysis revealed they want:  Storage (backed up)  Access (from anywhere)  Management (sharing, versioning etc)  Some want preservation for a very wide range of file types

5 Repository overview

6 The institutional repository is actually two instances of Fedora (private and public facing) Public areas exposed through web and portal using Muradora, will also be exposed into VLE/VRE (Sakai) Private areas managed by RepoMMan tool through University portal

7 Muradora at Hull

8 The RepoMMan tool

9 iVia metadata tool Title Creator Description Key phrases Proper names and Capitalisation Language [Note: Screenshot taken from the Data Fountains demonstrator, not the RepoMMan interface]

10 The RepoMMan tool The tool appears much like an ftp interface The left-hand area is a view of the local computer The right-hand area is a view of the user’s repository space masquerading as a file structure In fact a Fedora repository supporting versioning etc. The ‘folders’ are Fedora collections

11 The RepoMMan tool Buttons down the right allow for ‘publication’ to a queue for the visible (non-private) repository At ‘publication’ text objects have descriptive metadata added automatically (iVia metadata tool from Data Fountains) which the user can edit REMAP enhances this publication process

12 REMAP overview REMAP is an enhancement to the publication process and to the lifecycle of the object thereafter Content in the institutional repository (research, learning & teaching, administration etc) cannot necessarily be published and left alone. For instance: Some material has a natural lifecycle (handbooks etc) Other material may become obsolete (content or format)

13 REMAP overview REMAP allows us to embed time-driven workflows into an object Supports aspects of records management and digital preservation (RMDP) in the public-facing repository By extension, supports development work (possibly multi-party development) in the private repository

14 REMAP use cases Range of use cases investigated in some detail:  Preparation of committee papers by Committee Section  Past examination papers as learning resources  Learning and Teaching Programme approvals  University Register of Policies and Procedures  University Quality Handbook  The RepoMMan publication process  Support for Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD)  Digital Archives at the University of Hull  RMDP for Spoken Word Services (large audio-visual archive)

15 REMAP use cases Three categories of RMDP alert identified: Events 1: FYI, this has just happened The item you submitted for publishing is now available at Events 2: This has happened, that needs to be done An item (details) has been deposited in the accession queue and needs attention Dates 1: It is now xx days since you requested deposit of... The deadline of dd/mm/yy has passed Dates 2: Specified lifespan reached. Hide? Status: The repository contains nn objects of filetype zzz. This is becoming obsolete

16 REMAP development sequence RepoMMan publication process Requires only passive messaging ETD and past undergraduate exam papers ETD – embargo date reached? Expose? Exams – lifespan reached: Hide? Extend? Register of Policies and Procedures Requires periodic review and management of the review workflow Digital Archives The needs of long-term preservation; use of external Web Services eg PRONOM Spoken Word Services Complex workflow embracing all the above

17 REMAP Methodology As objects are submitted to a publishing queue each will have an ‘flags’ datastream added Flags datastream written in iCAL (xCAL) Messages/alerts etc managed by Darwin Calendar Server Flags datastream in the Fedora object means that the system can be reconstructed in the event of a crash

18 Fedora objects in the staging area and beyond contain an ‘events’ datastream in iCAL

19 Manipulating events Some events may be automatically added and some users will be able to add/edit events through an appropriate interface – maybe:

20 Alerts Alerts and messages can potentially be in a range of forms – users might set a preference ( , RSS,...) Alerts will be managed and manageable: Multiple alerts will be grouped (the summer 2005 chemistry papers need attention – alert linked to the Fedora collection object) Responses can be grouped (hide all, hide none, hide all but these etc)

21 Scalability We believe that the process will be scalable from straightforward alerts (information messages)...to moderately complex workflows (Register of Policies and Procedures)...to very complex procedures (Spoken Word Services workflow)

22 Alerts for workflow

23 Alerts for workflow

24 Progress Currently working on the ‘infrastructure’: Calendar Server and Web Services integration Simple alerts in early summer Simple alerts and responses early autumn Complex alerts and responses autumn/winter Completion: March 2009

25 Contacts and websites Hull Institutional Repository: REMAP website: Contact: Richard Green: Chris Awre: Iain Wallace (SWS): Simon Lamb (Senior Developer):