DuraSpace Blog =C2=BB Blog = Archive =C2=BB Taking DSpace Out of the Box

=C2=AB Previous Post: Deadline=20 Sept. 28 for DuraSpace/SPARC Open Access Week Contest Entries

Taking DSpace Out of the Box

Friday, September 18th, 2009 1:47 pm

Written by: Carol Minton Morris

Ithaca, NY, Boston, MA While many savvy information managers = and=20 developers know that DSpace (http://dspace.org/), part of the = DuraSpace (http://duraspace.org/) product line, = is the=20 software of choice for academic, non-profit and commercial organizations = that=20 are building open access repositories, there are still some who may = wonder about=20 what DSpace is, and what=E2=80=99s =E2=80=9Cunder the hood.=E2=80=9D = DSpace, with over 700 installations=20 [1] worldwide, is an out-of-the-box repository software package for = creating=20 open repositories focused on delivering digital content to end users, = and=20 providing a full set of tools for managing and preserving content within = the=20 application. The DSpace open source software was built on a concept of = open=20 knowledge-sharing and long term preservation. MIT Libraries and = the=20 Hewlett-Packard Company [2] developed the initial software with the = vision of=20 open access and knowledge sharing. DSpace software is now used to create = and=20 manage many types of academic, research and personal repositories that = contain a=20 variety of data, including books, theses, 3D digital scans of objects,=20 photographs, film, video, research data sets and other forms of content. = The=20 software=E2=80=99s ease-of-use allows for institutions to focus on best = practices that=20 shine a light on the =E2=80=9Caboutness=E2=80=9D of curated collections = while developing=20 strategic initiatives to encourage institutional deposits.

DSpace is a constantly evolving platform, due to the vibrant = community that=20 participates in the development. The current version is 1.5.2, with the = release=20 of 1.6.0 scheduled for late autumn 2009 which will include powerful new = features=20 such as an embargo facility, better statistics, devolved community=20 administration, and batch metadata editing. Platform development is = overseen by=20 a group of =E2=80=98committers=E2=80=99 from different institutions [3] = to ensure that it=20 continues to meet the needs of many organizations. There is a = complimentary=20 Global Outreach Committee [4], and a World-wide Ambassador Network which = addresses issues around growing and supporting the = community.

The DSpace repository uses a relational database and an asset = store. By=20 default the database is PostgreSQL [5]; Oracle is also supported. = Most=20 asset stores are simple filesystems, however one can choose to push = content to a=20 remote store or third party solution. Item and system metadata are = stored=20 in the relational database.

In a typical deposit workflow, an author or curator submits work via = a=20 (customizable) web interface or batch package interface. A curator = or=20 administrator approves that submission via a web based tool, and the = item(s) are=20 subsequently stored in the database and asset store. Items may be=20 organized into =E2=80=9Ccommunities=E2=80=9D containing = =E2=80=9Ccollections.=E2=80=9D D= ownload=20 the DSpace diagram (PDF) that describes visually how DSpace = works.

For retrieval, customizable web interfaces provide full text = searching and=20 browsing of the repository, enabling full download of the item.

DSpace also has a rich array of additional functionality for = importing and=20 exporting items, integrating with authentication system, and managing = the=20 workflow. Beyond the core package is a vibrant community providing = open=20 source and proprietary add-ons and extensions that boost DSpace = functionality:=20 http://www.dspace.org/i= ndex.php/Add_ons/.

[1] http://www.dspace.org/index.php/DSpace-Instances/Repository-List.ht= ml

[2] Smith, M., et al. =E2=80=9CDSpace: An Open Source Dynamic Digital = Repository.=E2=80=9D=20 D-Lib Magazine January 2003. http://www= .dlib.org/dlib/january03/smith/01smith.html

[3] http://wiki.= dspace.org/index.php/DSpaceContributors

[4] htt= p://wiki.dspace.org/index.php/DSpace_Global_Outreach_Cmte

[5] PostgreSQL Web site=20 http://www.postgresql.org/

Posted in Topics: DSpace, DSpace distribute, DuraSpace, DuraSpace digest, News, Preservation and archiving, Scholarly publishing, Technology

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