1. A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk A Standards Framework For Digital Library Programmes Rosemary Russell UKOLN University of Bath Email R.Russell@ukoln.ac.uk URL http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/ UKOLN is supported by: 21 September 2005 ICHIM 05, Paris

2. A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk Contents To cover: Background to use of standards in UK higher and further education Limitations of previous approaches Importance of context Layered approach developed by UKOLN Project perspective Implementation

3. A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk Background Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) development work: Traditionally based on use of open standards to: Support interoperability Maximise accessibility Avoid vendor lock-in Provide architectural integrity Help ensure long-term preservation History: eLib Standards document (v1 – 1996, v2 – 1998) DNER Standards document (2001) which influenced: NOF-digi Technical Standards..

4. A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk Lessons Learnt Feedback from earlier projects revealed problems: Lack of awareness of standards document Lack of knowledge of standards Lack of technical expertise/resources Immaturity of standards Concerns that standards may not take off, or would change during project lifetime Difficulties when building on existing work Uncertainty of what to do if standards not implemented correctly …

5. A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk Standards confusion RSS 2 standards (1.0, 2.0) 3 different meanings (Rich Site Summary, RDF Site Summary, Really Simple Syndication…) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Compliance poor Guidelines flawed

6. A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk Flexibility needed A need for flexibility in the standards infrastructure: Learning the lessons from OSI networking PDF, Java owned by commercial companies standards framework must recognise the need for a hybrid approach to standards

7. A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk Context: E-Learning Standards have been mandated out of context, eg Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM): Designed for detailed tracking of learner activities – compliance a key factor Inappropriate in HE collaborative learning context

8. A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk Layered approach

9. A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk Using this approach Developed to support JISC development programmes Programme managers can decide areas where compliance is: Mandatory Desirable, or Where projects can select solution

10. A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk The project’s perspective

11. A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk Implementation How might this approach be used in practice? Programme XX Call / Contract Committees Advisers Programme Team Proposals must comply with XYZ standard Proposals should seek to comply with XYZ Proposals should describe approach to XYZ Projects audited to ensure compliance with … Projects should develop self-assessment procedures and submit findings to JISC Projects should submit proposed approach for approval/information Development Programme JISC Manager Report Contract Report must be in MS Word / … and use JISC template … JISC Manager JISC Service Contract Services must self-assess … and highlight significant deviations from …

12. A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk Compliance Issues What does must mean? You must comply with HTML standards  What if I don't?  What if nobody does?  What if I use PDF? You must clear rights on all resources you digitise You must provide properly audited accounts  What if I don't? There is a need to clarify the meaning of must and for an understandable, realistic and reasonable compliance regime

13. A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk Conclusions Contextual approach to selection and use of open standards Pragmatic solution Guidance and support for projects Not prescriptive

14. A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk Scope Of The Standards Work The Standards Catalogue will: Cover JISC's development programmes Cover other JISC-funded development work Cover JISC-funded services Cover JISC itself Be available for others (e.g. institutional work) Content areas will include: Web  File formats Metadata  Resource discovery E-learning  Addressing Alerting  Authentication E-Research  …