Exhibiting library collections online: Omeka in context

This case study describes Indiana University Libraries’ use of Omeka for online exhibits of digital collections. Omeka is placed in the context of other online exhibit tools being used by galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM). Omeka provides many benefits for different types of digital library collection exhibits and different levels of technical expertise but is currently limited in the ability to manage multiple exhibits of separate digital collections. Describing Omeka in the context of other online exhibit tools shows the need for this kind of evaluation to improve these tools for the GLAM community

AMPPD Project Update

Academic libraries and archives are dealing with increasing numbers of digital audio and video (AV) files, acquired through both digitization of analog collections and acquisition of born-digital AV resources. While the emergence of low-cost storage options and maturity of streaming platforms has made it easier to store and deliver AV, these collections often lack metadata needed in order to make them discoverable and usable by researchers and other users. Since late 2018, the Indiana University Libraries have been working with partners at the University of Texas at Austin, New York Public Library, and digital consultant AVP to develop an open source software platform, known as AMP (Audiovisual Metadata Platform), that leverages automated machine learning-based tools together with human expertise to build workflows to create and augment metadata for AV resources to improve discovery, rights determination, and use. We will present an update on progress of the AMP project and its successes and challenges to date, including a demonstration of the AMP system and discussion of issues in system design, workflows, and the use of open source and commercial cloud-based machine learning tools. We will also discuss results to date of testing the AMP system using collections from the Cook Music Library and University Archives at IU and from the New York Public Library. This work is generously supported by a grant to IU from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Audiovisual Metadata Platform Pilot Development (AMPPD), Final Project Report

This report documents the experience and findings of the Audiovisual Metadata Platform Pilot Development (AMPPD) project, which has worked to enable more efficient generation of metadata to support discovery and use of digitized and born-digital audio and moving image collections. The AMPPD project was carried out by partners Indiana University Libraries, AVP, University of Texas at Austin, and New York Public Library between 2018-2021

Leveraging open access for integrating repository data at Indiana University Libraries

Poster at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014Posters, Demos and Developer "How-To's"Opening access to digital repository data can be done in different ways with different effects. From providing a data packet for bulk download to a web service API, the ways in which that data can be used and understood will vary. Indiana University Libraries is using several of these options at once and improving its ability to provide access to data from its digital repository. The goal is to allow the type of data-sharing necessary to enhance our own ecosystem of information as well as connect our data with external sources. This presentation investigates options available for providing repository-wide access to data, examines what is involved in implementing each of these, and discusses what Indiana University Libraries is undertaking to open access to its Fedora digital repository.Hardesty, Juliet L. (Indiana University Libraries, United States of America

Transitioning from XML to RDF: Considerations for an effective move towards Linked Data and the Semantic Web

Metadata, particularly within the academic library setting, is often expressed in eXtensible Markup Language (XML) and managed with XML tools, technologies, and workflows. Managing a library’s metadata currently takes on a greater level of complexity as libraries are increasingly adopting the Resource Description Framework (RDF). Semantic Web initiatives are surfacing in the library context with experiments in publishing metadata as Linked Data sets and also with development efforts such as BIBFRAME and the Fedora 4 Digital Repository incorporating RDF. Use cases show that transitions into RDF are occurring in both XML standards and in libraries with metadata encoded in XML. It is vital to understand that transitioning from XML to RDF requires a shift in perspective from replicating structures in XML to defining meaningful relationships in RDF. Establishing coordination and communication among these efforts will help as more libraries move to use RDF, produce Linked Data, and approach the Semantic Web

Browse and Learn: Using Linked Data Connections for Bias Mitigation and Research

When systemically marginalized communities provide their own controlled vocabularies of terms, can those be used effectively for browsing and researching in information systems that do not use those same vocabularies? Join us as we share ongoing work to use connections between the Homosaurus, an LGBTQ+ Linked Data vocabulary and the Library of Congress Subject Headings to enhance discovery of relevant resources in a library catalog. We will explore how this can aid education about terminology and possibly help to mitigate biases on the part of researchers and the library catalog. We will share the proof-of-concept web application, the work completed so far, and discuss further planned work and possible future contributions

The Ecosystem of Repository Migration

Indiana University was an early adopter of the Fedora repository, developing it as a home for heterogeneous digital library content from a variety of collections with unique content models. After joining the Hydra Project, now known as Samvera, in 2012, development progressed on a variety of applications that formed the foundation for digital library services using the Fedora 4 repository. These experiences have shaped migration planning to move from Fedora 3 to Fedora 4 for this large and inclusive set of digital content. Moving to Fedora 4 is not just a repository change; it is an ecosystem shift. End user interfaces for access, management systems for collection managers, and data structures are all impacted. This article shares what Indiana University has learned about migrating to Fedora 4 to help others work through their own migration considerations. This article is also meant to inspire the Fedora repository development community to offer ways to further ease migration work, sustaining Fedora users moving forward, and inviting new Fedora users to try the software and become involved in the community

The Semantics of Metadata: Avalon Media System and the Move to RDF

The Avalon Media System (Avalon) provides access and management for digital audio and video collections in libraries and archives. The open source project is led by the libraries of Indiana University Bloomington and Northwestern University and is funded in part by grants from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Institute of Museum and Library Services. Avalon is based on the Samvera Community (formerly Hydra Project) software stack and uses Fedora as the digital repository back end. The Avalon project team is in the process of migrating digital repositories from Fedora 3 to Fedora 4 and incorporating metadata statements using the Resource Description Framework (RDF) instead of XML files accompanying the digital objects in the repository. The Avalon team has worked on the migration path for technical metadata and is now working on the migration paths for structural metadata (PCDM) and descriptive metadata (from MODS XML to RDF). This paper covers the decisions made to begin using RDF for software development and offers a window into how Semantic Web technology functions in the real world

Scherzo: A FRBR-Based Music Discovery System

The Scherzo music discovery system is one deliverable from the Variations/FRBR (V/FRBR) project at Indiana University (Riley, 2010). The objective of the V/FRBR project is to provide a real-world test of the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) model (IFLA, 1998) in the domain of music. In addition to creating a schema and FRBRization algorithm to populate a repository with data drawn from MARC bibliographic records, one experiment in the utility of the FRBR model has been to create a discovery system based on the FRBRized data, to explore the value of exposing FRBR structuring in the discovery interface

A Rights Expression Language for Federated Repositories

Poster at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014Posters, Demos and Developer "How-To's"We will reveal the most common characteristics found in twelve institutional repository deposit licenses and measure whether existing Rights Expression Languages (RELs) are suitable for expressing those characteristics in a machine-readable manner. The creation or adaptation of a REL to express repository and depositor rights and responsibilities is important, as repositories of scholarly content are increasingly included in federations that aggregate content but do not provide straightforward ways to deposit content.Konkiel, Stacy (Indiana University, United States of America)Liss, Jennifer A. (Indiana University, United States of America)Hardesty, Juliet L. (Indiana University, United States of America