The library as digitorium
New modes of information creation,
distribution and access
Cathrine Harboe-Ree
University Librarian
Strategic
www.monash.edu.au
Michele Sabto
Manager, Monash
University ePress
Andrew Treloar
Project Manager,
Information Initiatives
Monash University
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Established 1960
50,000 students (8,600 off campus)
5,300 staff
Six Australian campuses + Malaysia and South
Africa
• Centres in London and Prato
www.monash.edu.au
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Monash University Library
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Eight libraries
250 staff (plus casuals = 20 EFT)
2.8 million items
440 databases
20,000 e- journals (10,000 print)
145,000 e-books
20 million searches on catalogue in 2002
www.monash.edu.au
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Monash University Library as “Digitorium”
• Actively embracing new roles
– Engaging further upstream in the communication process
• Supporting pedagogical changes
– Addressing needs of on and off campus and transnational
students
• Supporting scholarly activity
– Promoting and preserving Monash University research
output
• Partner in information management
– Working collaboratively across university
www.monash.edu.au
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Digital foundation
• Endeavor’s Voyager system (1998-)
– 600 student-use computers (1:58)
• Significant web based database (2.8 million
items)
– electronic databases, electronic journals (licensed and
owned), electronic books (licensed and owned),
thousands of web links
• Main access to all resources
www.monash.edu.au
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Transforming the catalogue
• New resources list (SQL query)
– Weekly automated lists of new books, videos, CDs, CDROMS, microforms and tapes
• E-journals list by faculties (SQL)
– By 225 e-descriptors in 2004
• Database of databases (SQL)
– Subject sorting (e-descriptors in 2004)
– Supplementary information, such as service alerts and
license limitations
– Contains administrative metadata
www.monash.edu.au
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Content creation
• Monash Exams database
– Scanned externally then catalogued by library
– 14,000 links to PDF files in past exams database
– 1.35 million hits in 2002
• Monash University Lectures Online
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Streaming audio from 33 theatres across five campuses
130 courses in both semester 1 and 2 in 2002
Over 5,000 hours of recordings
150,000 extended live audio streams delivered
Video streaming requested (whose responsibility?)
www.monash.edu.au
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Transforming reserve services
• Online reading readings and reserve
– Web pages created (manually, to be automated in 2004)
– Links to electronic resources available through the
catalogue
– Links to over 120,000 pages of material digitised and
catalogued by the library (and copyright controlled)
– Over 430,000 accesses in last 12 months
www.monash.edu.au
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Transforming scholarly communication
• Promoting institutional research output
• Open or affordable access
• Our response to Peter Suber’s “serials and
permissions crises”
• Holistic approach adopted at Monash
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Digital repositories
E-theses
Electronic publishing
Ultimately, learning objects and research data
www.monash.edu.au
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Digital repositories: current
• International movement to build institutional
repositories of research output
• Using eprint.org software from Univ.
Southampton
• Monash trial commenced 2003
– Pre and post prints
www.monash.edu.au
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Digital repositories: issues
• Software not easy to use for self-publishing
• Copyright clearances a nightmare
• Software not flexible enough for multiple use,
eg. for electronic theses or open access
publishing
• Difficult to achieve critical mass
– Cultural, technical and organisational issues
– Query business case
www.monash.edu.au
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Digital theses: ADT
• Australian Digital Theses Program (ADT)
http://adt.caul.edu.au based at the University of
New South Wales
– 22 participating universities (not Monash)
– Federated approach involving National Library
– Uses software developed at Virginia Polytechnic Institute
(NDTDL)
– Similar issues to digital repositories
• Monash’s response covered later in this
presentation
www.monash.edu.au
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Monash University ePress
• 2-3 year prototype funding
• Modelled on overseas initiatives, drawing on
library expertise (“just advanced librarianship”)
• To publish electronic journals, conference
proceedings, monographs and “other”
• Launch in October 2004
• Attracting Dept. of Education Science and
Technology research credits
• XML native files supported by metadata and
using flexible and extensible DTDs
www.monash.edu.au
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Monash University ePress: goals
• To provide a more direct link between
researchers and readers
• To use innovative technology to publish
scholarly material
• To promote Monash University’s research
activities and intellectual capital
• To provide a sustainable publishing model
• To provide a leadership role within the
university
• To build partnerships with others
www.monash.edu.au
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ePress features
• Inclusion of audio, video and colour images
• Reference linking
• Content included in indexing and abstracting
services
• Forums for reader interaction
• Streamlining submission and refereeing
processes
• Reduction in lead times
• Usage statistics
• Flexible subscription offerings
• Repackaging of content
www.monash.edu.au
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ePress progress to date
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Manager appointed
Committee convened
Commissioning policy completed
Substantial RFP for software released
– Covers content management, publish-to-web, ecommerce
and digital rights management
• 7 publishing proposals under development
• Business plan in development
www.monash.edu.au
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ePress issues
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Securing appropriately skilled staff
Selection and development of suitable software
Need to build up critical mass
Brand management and marketing
Sustainability in small Australian market
Managing expectations
Need to avoid another silo software solution
www.monash.edu.au
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and next … ARROW
• ARROW = Australian Research Repositories
Online to the World
– DEST funded national demonstrator project
> Monash University (lead institution)
> University of New South Wales
> Swinburne University
> National Library of Australia
> Plus associates and activity partners
www.monash.edu.au
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Purpose
• Identification and testing of software solution/s
for integrated institutional digital repositories
comprising e-prints, digital theses and
electronic publishing
• Federated national research discovery services
overlaid
• Independent scholars’ repository (NLA)
• DEST research directory
• Other uses possible later
www.monash.edu.au
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ARROW stages
• Demonstration (2004)
– Developing architecture, selecting, developing and testing
software
• Deployment (mid 2004 – end 2005)
– Populating the repositories
• Distribution (mid 2005 – end 2006)
– Enabling others to participate
www.monash.edu.au
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ARROW Architecture
www.monash.edu.au
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Activities
• Common digital repository infrastructure (2004)
– Open standards based services architecture (the ARROW
architecture)
– Specify, source, develop and install software
– Interoperability within and between institutions
– 3 ARROW compliant repositories
– Documentation of installation and metadata standards
www.monash.edu.au
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Activities – cont.
• Incorporating and extending capacity of ADT
Programme (2004-5)
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Manage theses metadata and submit digital theses
Software no less functional than present
Incorporating OAI-PMH compliance
Data capture from multiple sources
Efficient harvesting
Interaction with other metadata services
www.monash.edu.au
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Activities – cont.
• Creating the e-prints module (2004-5)
– Module to submit and manage e-prints
– No less functionality than eprints.org software
– Improved management of self-submission and
administrative arrangements
www.monash.edu.au
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Activities – cont.
• Creating the independent scholars’ repository
(2004-5)
– Installed at NLA for people not affiliated with a university
– Same software as for e-prints module
– Management of content submission from independent
scholars
– Other possible uses later (images, databases)
www.monash.edu.au
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Activities – cont.
• Implementing the electronic press module
(2004-5)
– Create or integrate a module to manage an electronic
press (journals, conference papers, monographs –
selected, not self-submission)
– [Monash developing an e-press independently, with a
view to integrating functionality when ready. Underlying
repository at least to be converged]
www.monash.edu.au
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Activities – cont.
• Creating the research directory module
(2004-5)
– Utilising annual DEST returns to systematically build
repository and showcase institutional output
– Web-based database linked into repository and to library
resources
– Automatic permissions process
– Communicating about copyright to authors
– Driving cultural change
www.monash.edu.au
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Activities – cont.
• Implementing cross-repository resource
discovery mechanisms (2004-5)
– Automated harvesting and re-purposing metadata
– Applying international standards and specifications
– Supported by descriptive metadata (DRM, persistent
identification, archiving)
– Searching through range of discovery tools (1. NLA; 2.
education.au, web search engines)
– Web branded interfaces, exposed external discovery
services, alerting services
www.monash.edu.au
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Activities – cont.
• Populating robust repositories (2005)
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Robust and scalable architecture
Effective submission processes
Range of content from research areas
Advocacy campaign aimed at local researchers (and
independent scholars)
– Linked to research directories
www.monash.edu.au
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Activities – cont.
• Provision of repository services to other
institutions (2006)
– Hosting repositories of non-consortial members (if
practical)
– Assisting other institutions to establish ARROW solutions
– Documentation and tools
– Active support and training
www.monash.edu.au
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Questions?
www.monash.edu.au
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