Transcript OAI: Open Archives Initiative

Sharing Digital Scores:
Will the Open Archives Initiative
Protocol for Metadata Harvesting
Provide the Key?
Constance Mayer, Harvard University
Peter Munstedt, MIT
Jon Dunn, Indiana University
February 15, 2003
OAI: Open Archives Initiative


Original problem: searching across eprint archives
Distributed searching hard




e.g. Z39.50
Varying search semantics, capabilities
Network, server problems
Solution: metadata harvesting
Metadata harvesting


Extract metadata from various sources
Build services on local copies of metadata
all searching, browsing,
etc. performed on
the metadata here
user
Individual repositories can
still support direct user
interaction
metadata
harvested
offline
search for “Mozart”
Service
provider
metadata
harvested
offline
local copy of
metadata
metadata
harvested
offline
metadata
harvested
offline
...
Data providers
OAI roles

Data Providers




Repositories of metadata (and usually digital
content)
Support harvesting of metadata via the OAI
protocol
Currently 53 registered data providers
Service Providers


Harvest metadata from data providers using the
OAI protocol
Implement user interface to data


Usually for searching, but other services also possible
Can be selective
OAI protocol




Currently at version 2.0
Carried over HTTP
Requests: HTTP GET or POST
Responses encoded in XML


Format defined via XML schema
Metadata in simple (unqualified) Dublin
Core (and potentially other formats)
Dublin Core elements







Coverage
Description
Type
Relation
Source
Subject
Title








Contributor
Creator
Publisher
Rights
Date
Format
Identifier
Language
OAI verbs
Verb
Function
Identify
description of archive
ListMetadataFormats
metadata formats supported by archive
ListSets
sets defined by archive
ListIdentifiers
OAI unique ids contained in archive
ListRecords
listing of N records
GetRecord
listing of a single record
OAI resources



Web site, mailing lists
Repository explorer
Data/service provider toolkits
www.openarchives.org
Examples of OAI service
providers

UIUC Cultural Heritage Repository


UMich OAIster


http://www.oaister.org/
RLG Cultural Materials


http://oai.grainger.uiuc.edu/
http://www.rlg.org/culturalres/
UCLA/JHU/IU Sheet Music Harvester

http://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/music/
Becoming an OAI data
provider


Make digital content available on web
Translate metadata into Dublin Core




Crosswalks exist for MARC
Can also make other formats available, e.g. MARC
XML
Choose a unique identifier system
Set up OAI data provider server software


See tools list at www.openarchives.org
Depending on tool, uses its own database or
operates over existing database
Other technical concerns

Areas for standardization/agreement

Within-score navigation





User interface, supporting structural metadata
Image file formats: delivery, preservation
MARC-DC metadata crosswalk
Not essential to OAI model, but enables more
consistent user experience
Packaging scores for exchange between
libraries, e.g. for e-reserves, cooperative
preservation

Can METS play a role?
Contact us…

Constance Mayer


Peter Munstedt


[email protected]
[email protected]
Jon Dunn

[email protected]