lib-ir: Fwd: diglib: principles of good digital collections

[Carol Hixson <chixson@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU>]

Most of you are subscribed to the Diglib list but I
wanted to send this out to the IR list as well because
I think most of these principles apply just as well
to an institutional repository.

Carol

>Date: Fri, 09 May 2003 11:18:43 -0700
>From: Carol Hixson <chixson@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU>
>Subject: diglib: principles of good digital collections
>Sender: owner-diglib@lists.uoregon.edu
>To: diglib@lists.uoregon.edu
>Cc: Nathan Georgitis <nathang@darkwing.uoregon.edu>,
>  Lori Robare <lrobare@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU>
>Reply-to: Carol Hixson <chixson@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU>
>X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.2.0.9
>
>I was reviewing the IMLS document on digital collections
>http://www.imls.gov/pubs/forumframework.htm and wanted
>to pass the following on as a reminder to all of us.
>We've done better on some aspects than on others.
>And, since we're really just getting started, we can
>try to be more alert to these issues for future projects.
>
>Carol
>*************************************************************
>Principles of Good Digital Collections, taken from:
>
>A Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections,
>Institute of Museum and Library Services, November 2001.
>
>
>Collections principle 1: A good digital collection is created
>according to an explicit collection development policy that
>has been agreed upon and documented before digitization
>begins.
>
>Collections principle 2: Collections should be described so
>that a user can discover important characteristics of the
>collection, including scope, format, restrictions on access,
>ownership, and any information significant for determining
>the collection's authenticity, integrity and interpretation.
>
>Collections principle 3: A collection should be sustainable
>over time. In particular, digital collections built with special
>funding should have a plan for their continued usability
>beyond the funded period.
>
>Collections principle 4: A good collection is broadly
>available and avoids unnecessary impediments to use.
>Collections should be accessible to persons with disabilities,
>and usable effectively in conjunction with adaptive technologies.
>
>Collections principle 5: A good collection respects
>intellectual property rights. Collection managers should
>maintain a consistent record of rightsholders and permissions
>granted for all applicable materials.
>
>Collections principle 6: A good collection provides some
>measurement of use. Counts should be aggregated by period
>and maintained over time so that comparison can be made.
>
>Collections principle 7: A good collection fits into the larger
>context of significant related national and international digital
>library initiatives. For example, collections of content useful for
>education in science, math and/or engineering should be usable
>in the NSDL.
>
>Objects principle 1. A good digital object will be produced in
>a way that ensures it supports collection priorities.
>
>Objects principle 2. A good object is persistent. That is, it
>will be the intention of some known individual or institution
>that the good object will persist; that it will remain accessible
>over time despite changing technologies.
>
>Objects principle 3. A good object is digitized in a format that
>supports intended current and likely future use or that support
>the development of access copies that support those uses.
>Consequently, a good object is exchangeable across platforms,
>broadly accessible, and will either be digitized according to a
>recognized standard or best practice or deviate from standards
>and practices only for well documented reasons.
>
>{no Objects principle 4 in the document}
>
>Objects principle 5. A good object will be named with a
>persistent, unique identifier that conforms to a well-documented
>scheme. It will not be named with reference to its absolute
>filename or address (e.g. as with URLs and other Internet
>addresses) as filenames and addresses have a tendency to
>change. Rather, the filename's location will be resolvable with
>reference to its identifier.
>
>Objects principle 6. A good object can be authenticated in at
>least two senses. First, a user should be able to determine the
>object's origins, structure, and developmental history (version,
>etc.). Second, a user should be able to determine that the
>object is what it purports to be.
>
>Objects principle 7. A good object will have and be associated
>with metadata. All good objects will have descriptive and
>administrative metadata. Some will have metadata that
>supplies information about their external relationships to
>other objects (e.g. the structural metadata that determines
>how page images from a digitally reformatted book relate
>to one another in some sequence).
>
>Metadata Principle 1: Good metadata should be appropriate to
>the materials in the collection, users of the collection, and
>intended, current and likely use of the digital object.
>
>Metadata principle 2: Good metadata supports interoperability.
>
>Metadata principle 3. Good metadata uses standard controlled
>vocabularies to reflect the what, where, when and who of the
>content.
>
>Metadata principle 4. Good metadata includes a clear
>statement on the conditions and terms of use for the digital
>object.
>
>Metadata principle 5: Good metadata records are objects
>themselves and therefore should have the qualities of good
>objects, including archivability, persistence, unique identification,
>etc. Good metadata should be authoritative and verifiable.
>
>Metadata principle 6. Good metadata supports the long-term
>management of objects in collections.
>
>Projects principle 1: A good project has a substantial design
>component.
>
>Projects principle 2: A good project has an evaluation plan.
>
>Projects principle 3: A good project produces a project report.
>
>
>
>
>
>