1 The RIDIR Project Identifier interoperability between repositories VIF Workshops 22 nd April 2008 Richard Green (University of Hull)

2 What’s an identifier? In the context of RIDIR’s work, an identifier is simply a label associated with some content. Maybe: an object identifier: hull:34 a web address: edocs.hull.ac.uk/fedora/get/hull:34 a handle or DOI: but...

3 Identifiers...it could also be: an ISBN: a catalogue entry: 007C8371 a title: Stonehenge – a history in photographs... Identifiers may be unique, they may not. The RIDIR Project is building a demonstrator to show how identifiers stored in repositories could aid interoperability

4 Two over-arching use cases An object moves outside its original curation boundary and becomes ‘lost’. The original URL generates a ‘404 error’. How to find the object and preserve the knowledge? A user discovers a potentially useful object and wants to see related digital content that may be of use. How to find such content and preserve the knowledge?

5 Identifiers to the rescue! In either situation the user will need to search for the desired objects. Embedding of identifiers in the object metadata provides a starting point for discovery. ANY identifier is better than none!...but how to record and systematise the discovery results – and who says they are right?

6 RIDIR The RIDIR system will provide a discovery tool with integrated facilities for recording and persisting relationships (relationships can be authoritative or non-authoritative) recalling links to related resources and associated metadata

7 Relationships Relationships in the system can be built up over a period of time. A user can navigate an existing network of relationships and/or add to them. Potentially a wide range of relationships, but we need to keep some control...

8 Relationships Possible examples: Print isSameAs isVersionOf (!) [needs more granularity] isExtractFrom Broadcast isSameAs isExtractFrom isSignedVersionOf isRepeatOf etc

9 A broadcast example Spoken Word Services Excess Baggage Guest presenter: John McCarthy TRILT Television Index for Learning and Teaching Excess Baggage Sandy Toksvig with travellers’ tales Spoken Word Services Podcast Broadcast 1 clip Excess Baggage clip Broadcast n clip hasFurtherDetailAt isSameAs isExtractFrom

10 RIDIR scope Note that this diagram represents a first pass at a structure and will be refined in the completed demonstrator

11 VIF and RIDIR Identifiers are key to establishing relationships Clear identification of ‘versions’ important Any identifiers, all identifiers, aid discovery

12 Contact etc Website: Project Manager: Richard Green