Collaborative Digital Repositories

Collaborative Digital Repositories as a Necessary Tool for the Enhancement of the LIS Profession and Patron Engagement

Annotations by Avalon Snell

Definition of Project

This annotated bibliography focuses on the need for collaborative digital repositories in the information profession and how and why they are created. The purpose of collaborative digital repositories is to bring together diverse digital resources into a single online portal to aid access and research. Resources can come from any reputable learning institution including libraries, museums, and government archives. This paper seeks to outline requirements necessary for a successful collaboration, based on the issues described by those who have created and/or studied digital repositories. The publications in this bibliography were chosen based on their support of digital collaboration and for highlighting current digital collaborations as useful case studies for future reference.

Annotations

Abrizah, A., Hilmi, M., & Kassim, N. A. (2015). Resource-sharing through an inter-institutional repository: Motivations and resistance of library and information science scholars. The Electronic Library, 33(4), 730-748. DOI:10.1108/EL-02-2014-0040

This article is based on a study of repository contributions by library and information science (LIS) academics who are resistant to open-access initiatives in Malaysia. By using surveys and interview transcripts the authors were able to identify the motivations behind the resistance and what can be done to persuade contribution to the collaborative. The findings of this study show that scholars, particularly LIS scholars, will accept and contribute to collaborative repositories when the repository allows for self-publication of research and easier access to co-authoring projects. While the data gathered centers on LIS professionals in Malaysia it can be more broadly applied to the information profession at large and explores ways that digital repositories can grow collaboration and contribution by supporting the authors that contribute time and research to them.

Altman, M., Adams, M., Crabtree, J., Donakowski, D., Maynard, M., Pienta, A., & Young, C. (2009). Digital preservation through archival collaboration: The data preservation alliance for the social sciences. The American Archivist, 72(1), 170-184. DOI:10.17723/aarc.72.1.eu7252lhnrp7h188

Altman, et al., describes the growth of social science research and the need for institutions to collaborate on the creation of technical infrastructure to handle the vast amount of information being published in the social science professions. The article is based on the Data Preservation Alliance for the Social Sciences (Data-PASS) and the collaboration between five major U.S. institutions to ensure preservation of research not yet published. The authors use Data-PASS as a case study to emphasize the importance of best practices and standards when starting a collaborative repository, especially if the collaborative repository aims to create and preserve vast amounts of information indefinitely. While the description of what was undertaken by Data-PASS to create and maintain their collaboration is central to this article, it also supports and encourages digital repository collaboration and highlights the benefits of such collaborations.

Birkeland, N.R., Danbolt Drange, E., & Tønnessen, E.S. (2015). Digital collaboration inside and outside educational systems. E-Learning and Digital Media, 12(2), 226 - 241. DOI:10.1177/2042753014567245

This article focuses on ongoing research in Norway that seeks to find how teachers use digital and multimodal (collaborative) resources. The authors argue that students are already used to online collaborative environments because of the growing use of social media and, therefore, creating a digital learning collaborative that is easily accessible seems the best way to keep students engaged in study. Using Facebook as their comparison, the authors argue that creating consistently updated, diverse learning sources in repositories should be a priority for educational professionals. This article provides an in-depth comparison of social media platforms and digital repositories as well as further promotes the creation of a more easily understood and useable resource for learning and research, especially collaborative repositories.

Bull, S., & Quimby, A. (2016). A renaissance in library metadata? The importance of community collaboration in a digital world. Insights, 29(2), 146–153. DOI:10.1629/uksg.302

This article is an adaptation of a presentation given on the importance of metadata collaboration as libraries become more and more technically driven. The authors provide detailed descriptions on how their collaboration adopted MARC standards to maintain the integrity of their repository. While the details of how and when MARC fields were applied to each members’ collections, the more important takeaway are the issues centered around consensus on best practices and the mistake some stakeholders make by not creating clear business models before the collaboration begins. This article contributes to the literature found on aging metadata and cataloguing standards and the need for more innovative digital solutions, including the ability to access diverse information from a single website.

Gregory, L., & Williams, S. (2014, July/August). On being a hub: Some details behind providing metadata for the Digital Public Library of America. D-Lib Magazine, 20(7/8). DOI:10.1045/july2014-gregory

Gregory and Williams’ article is a case study of the United States’ largest digital repository collaborative: The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). The article describes the work involved in being a part of the DPLA and how smaller collaborative repositories feed into a larger one. Highlighted are the requirements of meeting a single standard and schema, the process of auditing and harvesting metadata, and what was learned from the creation of such a large repository. The authors provide both an accurate account of the technical process and a summary of what the DPLA and its member repositories should improve upon as others join the collaboration.

Kalman M. E., Monge P., Fulk J., & Heino R. (2002). Motivations to resolve communication dilemmas in database-mediated collaboration. Communication Research, 29(2), 125- 154. DOI:10.1177/0093650202029002002

This article, while focused on the communication sector, is useful to information professionals because it explains the conditions needed to create and maintain a successful collaboration. Kalman, et al., explains that database contribution from all members of a group can waiver depending on each members’ personal views on sharing information. The author suggests steps that should be taken by the group to ward off possible undersupply or skewered content in their collective database. The authors came to their suggestions after surveying a group of aircraft engineers that were asked about their roles, others’ roles, and how the hierarchy of crewmen influenced how much each engineer contributed. In regards to the information profession, collaborative digital repositories start with the idea of providing online access to collections not available from a patron’s local repository and, therefore, require partners/members of the repository to equally and meaningfully contribute to ensure equal access.

Phillips, M., Tarver, H., & Frakes, S. (2014). Implementing a collaborative workflow for metadata analysis, quality improvement, and mapping. Code4lib Journal, 23. Retrieved from http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/9199

This review of the Oklahoma Historical Society/University of North Texas collaboration details the steps taken to create the digital repository The Gateway to Oklahoma History. The authors describe what is needed, technologically, to succeed in a digital library collaboration including requiring coding skills for members and the ability to self-audit metadata. They conclude that a simple workflow and a repeatable process is the key to making collaboration work, especially when working primarily on web-based tools and indirect communication. The information provided in the article is very technical but offers a thorough explanation of how a digital repository is set up and managed and the necessary computer science skills required of its partners/members.

Shepard, E. (2013). A digital collection collaboration in an academic repository: A case study. Journal of Archival Organization, 11(3/4), 205-220. DOI:10.1080/15332748.2013.948739

This article outlines how and why the New York Presbyterian Hospital and the Weill Cornell Medical College reached an agreement to collaborate on a digital repository for their photograph collections. This study gives an in-depth outline of the process each administration and team of archivists took to ensure a workable, successful collaboration. Shepard spends a significant amount of her paper discussing the financial implications of repository collaboration including comparing enterprise software, breaking down the Human Resource costs for each institution, and the cost of migrating legacy metadata. While this data is not translated into numbers, but provided as generalized statements, the information provided is useful for those seeking to start a collaborative repository and would like to see the choices given to a major medical repository. As a case study, this article is not meant to accumulate and study data but to give an overview of the process of starting a collaborative repository and how that process led to a success for two institutions.

Su, C. (2012). Who knows who knows what in the group? The effects of communication network centralities, use of digital knowledge repositories, and work remoteness on organizational members’ accuracy in expertise recognition. Communication Research, 39(5), 614-640. DOI:10.1177/0093650211433825

Chunke Su conducted a study on the views members of an institution have towards others working within their collaborative environment and whether or not each members’ expertise was acknowledged. This quantitative study gathered data from over 200 individuals at 17 different institutions to determine how members of a collaborative project identify the importance of others’ work. The findings show that those who were seen negatively tended to work remotely and gather the majority of their information from the group’s knowledge repositories, while those seen positively had a more central role in group communication. Although this study is not directly related to digital repository collaborations, it speaks to the larger issue of institutional and multi-institutional collaboration and how members of working groups validate each other. Since collaborative digital repositories are created by remote and diverse groups Su’s study on recognizing and utilizing expertise can easily be applied to members of a that digital repository.

Williams, R. D., Shankar, K., & Eschenfelder, K. R. (2017). Two views of the data documentation initiative: Stakeholders, collaboration and metadata standards creation. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 54(1), 455-462. DOI:10.1002/pra2.2017.14505401049

This article seeks to analyze the differences in development, creation, and maintenance of Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) and how much each participating member invests in terms of time and finances. Williams, et al., describe the importance of standardization in inter-organizational collaboration, especially in social sciences. As an international standard, DDI required participation and cooperation from many different national organizations; which they call the DDI Alliance. This quantitative case study highlights the importance of maintaining such collaborations and how they can contribute to the innovation of databases and IT infrastructure on a broader scale.