[OAI-general] Institution-based archive examples

[Adam Chandler]

Here at the Cornell Library another librarian and I have written an 
internal proposal to create an OAI layer around Cornell's National Spatial 
Data Infrastructure (NSDI) clearinghouse node (CUGIR; see: 
http://cugir.mannlib.cornell.edu/). For various reasons, we decided to 
create the Dublin Core versions of the FGDC metadata in the OCLC 
Cooperative Online Resource Catalog (CORC; see: http://corc.oclc.org/). We 
will be exporting these DC records back out of CORC into an OAI server. If 
our experiment works, populating the OAI server will become just another 
step in the existing CUGIR workflow.

This is what we plan to do:

1. Convert the CUGIR FGDC records to MARC using an existing conversion tool 
(http://cuadra.nwrc.gov/converter/)
2. Import the CUGIR MARC version into CORC; add value to the CORC versions 
by imposing authority control on terminology. (Leave the records in OCLC's 
CORC/WorldCat to facilitate resource discovery)
4. Export the MARC version from CORC into the Cornell Library catalog
5. Export the DC version from CORC into our new CUGIR OAI server

see also: http://www.fgdc.gov/

If there are any members of this list interested in the specifics of our 
project, email me and I'll send you a copy of the proposal, which includes 
justification for our approach.

- Adam Chandler


At 11:38 AM 4/2/01 -0400, Michael L. Nelson wrote:
>On Mon, 2 Apr 2001, Bob Kemp wrote:
>
> > This is a spin-off from the recent debate over discipline-based versus
> > institution based archives, where Stevan Harnad mentioned that over 100
> > sites are trying out the eprints software. I wondered how they are doing?
>
>as per Stuart's previous comments, downloads don't equal full up
>usage.  I've d/l'd a copy of eprints, and I have good intentions of
>investigating it, but...
>
>my question to you: if you certain groups already have functioning
>archives, consider writing an OAI layer around their existing archive /
>process.  IMO, the real beauty of OAI is that you don't have to rip out an
>existing software package (and one that users are probably already
>comfortable with) and replace it with the latest, greatest software du
>jour.  Users usually don't have that level of enthusiasm for shifting
>infrastructure.  And its generally not tough to scrape enough metadata to
>populate some of the more interesting DC fields.
>
>On the other hand, if you're establishing an archive where there was none
>(or the people are clamoring for improvements), something like eprints is
>the obvious choice.
>
>bottom line:  have you considered wrapping your existing archive?
>
>regards,
>
>Michael
>
> >
> > We haven't got very far at Strathclyde - just read some of the papers,
> > downloaded the documentation and looked at the discipline-based archives.
> > We hope to start a small trial over the next few weeks. It's a little
> > premature, but we already see a number of issues, for instance, how 
> best to
> > classify the archive, what metadata to use, how to persuade people to
> > participate, especially our staff in disciplines where there is already a
> > functioning archive.
> >
> > I'd consequently be very interested in a) looking at examples if anyone's
> > got anything up and running, and b) discussing experiences and approaches.
> > (The latter should probably be restricted to the non-technical as we have
> > the eprints-tech list for that sort of thing.)
> >
> > Has anyone any examples and experiences to discuss?
> >
> > Bob Kemp
> >
> >
> > Dr Bob Kemp
> > Information Officer, Digital Information Office
> > Centre for Digital Library Research
> > University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NS
> >
> > Phone: +44 (0)141 548 2379              FAX: +44 (0)141 548 2102
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > OAI-general mailing list
> > OAI-general@oaisrv.nsdl.cornell.edu
> > http://oaisrv.nsdl.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oai-general
> >
>
>---
>Michael L. Nelson
>207 Manning Hall, School of Information and Library Science
>University of North Carolina            mln@ils.unc.edu
>Chapel Hill, NC 27599                   http://ils.unc.edu/~mln/
>+1 919 966 5042                         +1 919 962 8071 (f)
>
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Adam Chandler
CTS Information Technology Librarian
Cornell University Library
110C Olin Library
Ithaca, NY 14853-5301
tel: 607-255-5760
fax: 607-255-6110
email: alc28@cornell.edu