Introducing Symposia : “ The digital repository that thinks like a librarian”

What is Symposia? An digital repository product –Manage digital collections that capture and preserve the “born digital” intellectual output of the institution –A solution for institutions who do not have the resources to develop and maintain open-source solutions

Features Collect digital output –Distributed contribution Authorized community members submit their own content –Describe it Qualified Dublin Core, METS Store it –Organize it hierarchy of communities and collections –Preserve it –Index it Distribute it –Public search interface –Interoperation with other systems and services Metafind links repository, library catalog, other databases OAI-PMH Data provider –Material can be kept confidential when desirable

All types of digital assets Papers Thesis Honors projects Library guides Simulations Learning objects Digitized collections Institutional Records Minutes of Meetings: Board of Trustees, Friends of the Library, etc. AND MORE

Key Components of Symposia Public search interface Distributed submission interface Management client

Public Search Interface Web-based search and discovery of the repository contents Keyword searching, including full text Targeted searching (e.g., search within a single community, and search within title or subject, etc.) Browsing the IR structure Community, Subcommunity and Collection pages Digital Items’ Qualified Dublin Core metadata descriptions, links to described digital objects

Public Interface Keyword and targeted keyword searches

Public Interface Search results

Public Interface Community page Name and LogoSubcommunitiesCollectionsDescription of the Community

Public Interface Digital item description Link to digital object

Public Interface Digital object

Distributed Submission Interface Distributed work flow: communities manage their own material Web-based Authorized members manage the submissions for their communities –Submit digital objects and descriptions One digital item at a time Multiple digital items in one submission –Review for appropriateness –Edit description –Publish submissions (make them publicly accessible) –A member may be authorized for one or more tasks Easy to submit –Like sending an with an attachment –Automatic extraction of metadata and full text from PDF and DOC files

Submission Interface

Select file(s)

Submission Interface Select collection if need be, then Confirm Submission

Submission Interface Modify/Input metadata, then Submit

Submission Interface Added to “My Submissions”

Management Client For “super-users” who can manage all –Communities –Collections –Digital items Input digital items and enhance those submitted by community members –Enhance metadata –Input administrative metadata –Automatic extraction of metadata and full text from PDF and DOC files Management of Members Manage public web search interface configuration files URL Checker Statistics Logins and authorizations Java-based

Repository Hierarchy Community, Subcommunity Collection Digital Item

Digital Item: Descriptive Metadata Guided editing

Digital Item: Descriptive Metadata XSL Transformations

Digital Item: Summary Digital Objects

Digital Object: Details Digital Item record: Digital Object details Full text automatically extracted (PDF and DOC)

Digital Object: Administrative Metadata Applies to specific digital object

Digital Item: View METS

Digital Item: URL Handle™ assigned

What is Handle™? Support for assigning persistent identifiers to documents using the Corporation for National Research Initiatives' (CNRI) Handle System (TM) ( is incorporated in Symposia. Persistent identifiers facilitate finding documents as they are cited elsewhere. Innovative will continue to work towards long- term preservation goals as technology and best practices develop in this area.

Digital Item: Status Modification history

Digital Item: Password Change, View Password

Management Client Collections record: Members & Roles

Key Benefits Increase visibility of institution –Increase citation of research Uniform Resource Identifier assigned to digital items –Branding the institution Prestige –For institution –For members (e.g., faculty) Increase availability of digital assets –Google-ability Safeguard digital assets –Preserve in perpetuity Digital assets stored in one place –Not on individual hard drives –Not on personal web pages

Thank you!