1

The Technical Standards and Your Bid

Sarah Ormes

UKOLN

University of Bath

Bath, BA2 7AY

UKOLN is funded by Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) of the Higher Education Funding Councils, as well as by project funding from the JISC and the European Union. UKOLN also receives support from the University of Bath where it is based.

Emails.l.ormes@ukoln.ac.ukURLhttp://www.ukoln.ac.uk/

2

Standards will make your bid…

•more robust– no surprises later on

•more technically achievable– technically possible right from the planning

stage

•more likely to succeed– a more coherent bid

3

Standards mean...

The resources you create can be• Repackaged

– potential for selling on your resources to be used by others

– can be repackaged within your own organisation

• More easily found– making life easier for your users

• Ensured a longer life cycle– best preservation practise

4

Implications for your Bid

• To achieve these benefits the programme’s standards must be implemented.

• Achieving this technical robustness may have implications.

• Implications will vary according to the size of your bid and its goals.

5

Creating Digital Resources (1)

• Digital resources must be created in the formats specified by the standards document.

• Projects must weigh-up the risks of exposing original material to the digitisation process.

• A record of the digitisation process for each item must be kept.

• Ideally a digital master should be created.

6

Creating Digital Resources (2)Issues for consideration:

• Assessing the risk to your collection?• Training your staff?• Recording the process?• Buying the necessary equipment? • Using a digitisation agency?

Has your project got the in-house expertise to create digital resources up to

the specifications of the standards?

7

Describing Your Resources (1)

All digital resources created should be described using metadata

• Creation• Intellectual Property Rights• Individual item descriptions• Collection level description

8

Issues for consideration:• Describing resources will be a time

intensive procedure.• It requires expert knowledge.• The description and the digital resource

have to be managed together.

Describing Your Resources (2)

Has your project costed for resource description? How will you manage the

resources and their descriptions?

9

Managing Your Digital Collection (1)Digital collections have to be managed just like physical collections.

• Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) must be researched.

• Performance indicators must be maintained.

• Security must be assured.

10

Issues for consideration:• Database approach (highly preferable)• Content Management System required

– A way for consortiums to create economies of scale.

• IPR research will need to be undertaken - insurance purchased?

Managing Your Digital Collection (2)

Has your project costed for a content management system? Have you explored

the full IPR issues?

11

Web Delivery (1)

All projects must be accessible via the Web.• Must meet W3C accessibility standards.• Must be available 24/7.• Should use stylesheets and adhere to

latest W3C mark-up recommendations.• Resources should be uniquely and

persistently identified.• Watermarking or fingerprinting should

be considered.

12

Web Delivery (2)Issues for consideration:

• Database driven production of ‘on the fly’ Web pages preferable.

• Static pages not recommended.• High level of Web/IT skills needed initially.• Content management system linked to

Web delivery.

Are skills available in-house? Can your ISP provide a suitable standard of

service?

13

Most Likely Impacts (1)

Reconsideration of technical costs:• Purchase of content management

system (scale of project).• Development of database driven Web

site.• Metadata creation and management.• Using a digitisation agency?

Highly suitable for creating economies of scale with consortium partners

14

Staffing costs:• Training likely to be required.• New staff required with different skill

sets.• Could be more effective to work with

outside agencies?

Most Likely Impacts (2)

Highly suitable for creating economies of scale with consortium partners

15

Most Likely Impacts (3)

Outcomes of the project:• Long term durability assured.• Development of new staff skills which

are transferable.• Creation of commercially viable

resources.• Resources available to be re-used

within organisation.

16

Technical Support Service• Available for advice and support in the

development of the technical aspects of proposals.

• Support via • Web pages (FAQs, information

papers)• e-mail (for specific queries)• discussion list (for sharing information)• phone (for emergencies!)

17

The service will

• provide guidance on the technical standards document and its implementation via e-mail, the Web site or the telephone.

• provide links to further information on relevant topics.

• attempt to answer general technical queries.

18

The service will not

• recommend system suppliers or digitisation agencies.

• review or comment on your written application.

• write your application for you!

19

Contacting the Service

1) First check the Web pages to see if someone has already asked your query

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/nof/support

2) E-mail the support service your querynof-support@ukoln.ac.uk

3) Share your query with the mailing listhttp://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/nof-digi