Resource Discovery Infokit project

Resource Discovery iKit

An operational version of the iKit is available. We welcome further feedback and comment.

A draft version of the JISC Information Environment thesaurus, created for the iKit, has been registered in the NSDL Metadata Registry sandbox. Browse the thesaurus within the sandbox. View a text file with the entire thesaurus output in RDF/SKOS-Core (to use the file in an XML or RDF viewer, save it and change the extension from .txt to .xml or .rdf).

Project extension: Integration with other applications, including PIMS

An extension to the original project has been funded by JISC, to run from March to September 2009.

The main aims of the extension are:

To develop metadata interoperability between iKit and JISC's Programme Information Management Systems (PIMS).
To embed elements of iKit in the JISC website.
To develop maintenance procedures for iKit.

Specific objectives include:

Identification of metadata output from PIMS relevent to iKit.
Processing of relevant metadata from PIMS for inclusion in iKit.
Development of a metadata mapping from PIMS to iKit and amendment of the iKit infrastructure, where appropriate, to improve use of PIMS metadata within iKit.
Analysis of interoperability issues between metadata content in PIMS and iKit.
Testing of any machine-to-machine interfaces developed by PIMS during the project extension.
Incorporation of iKit's conceptual map of the JISC Information Environment in the JISC website.
Identification of other iKit elements suitable for embedding in the JISC website.

Documentation

(PDF files)

Dates

2 July 2007 - 30 November 2007 (extended to 30 April 2008)

Description

The project created a Resource Discovery Infokit which identifies and describes a comprehensive range of relevant resources, tools and projects, offers views of this content based on a series of key questions and themes, and provides briefing papers on the implementation of resource discovery solutions. The taxonomic framework approach used to build the Infokit is documented as an example of best practice in the final report.

Overview

The Resource Discovery Infokit consolidates and synthesises resource discovery outputs from relevant JISC Development Programmes and JISC Services within the Information Environment, and so provides a single point of quick and easy access to information, advice, services, tools, case studies, software and related standards and technology to support resource discovery development. Rather than being a comprehensive programme synthesis, the Infokit is intended to provide answers to the key questions which users might wish to ask and so is selective in terms of the information to which it points.

Aims and objectives

The main aim of the project was to make it easier for JISC projects and those implementing resource discovery services within UK HE institutions to find information on resource discovery solutions.

The primary objectives were to:

create a Resource Discovery Infokit on the JISC website
offer views of the content of the Infokit according to key questions and themes
explain clearly how to implement resource discovery solutions
provide pointers to useful resources and projects
develop a plan for the future maintenance of the Infokit

Project methodology

Some initial scoping work was carried out to determine the range of resources for inclusion in the Infokit and the means by which it will be integrated into the JISC website. The Infokit was created using an approach based on faceted information retrieval via an extensible taxonomic framework, which enables users to discover and access resources in a number of ways navigational browsing via vocabularies and taxonomies, contextual browsing via FAQs, narrative browsing via briefing papers, and of course free text searching. This approach also forms the basis of a plan to maintain and sustain the Infokit in the longer term.

Anticipated outputs and outcomes

The creation of the Infokit should result in improved discovery of and access to resources relating to resource discovery, and hence more efficient and/or effective implementation of resource discovery solutions within the JISC community. Secondary outcomes include an improved understanding, in the form of a taxonomy, of the JISC Information Environments technical and functional attributes, and a high profile demonstration of the use of taxonomic frameworks to structure collections of information resources on the web, potentially resulting in improved practice elsewhere.

Technology / Standards used

The service uses the following technologies and standards.

For the database storing inventory metadata and vocabularies:

MS Access
Third normal form

For the web pages for the search and retrieve interfaces:

Adobe Cold Fusion Markup Language
Adobe DreamWeaver
CSS level 2
SQL
XHTML level 1.0

Dissemination

21 Feb 2008: Tony Ross included elements of the project in the presentation It's all semantics!: the premises and promises of the semantic web at the seminar "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore": metadata issues and Web2.0 services organised by the Cataloguing and Indexing Group in Scotland and held at the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh.
5 Jun 2008: Tony Ross gave a presentation about the project, Resources, resources, resources: the three Rs of the web, to members of the Cataloguing and Indexing Group in Scotland and the Multimedia and Information Technology Group Scotland at the 2008 annual conference of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland, Peebles. A brief report of the presentation was published in Information Scotland, 6(3), June 2008.
5 Aug 2008: Gordon Dunsire and Tony Ross contributed an article about the iKit service, Resource discovery for resource discovery, to the e-journal WIDWISAWN (Who is doing what in Scotland and what's needed).

Lead Institution

Centre for Digital Library Research, University of Strathclyde.

Project Manager

Gordon Dunsire
Depute Director
Centre for Digital Library Research
Information Resources Directorate, University of Strathclyde
Livingstone Tower, 26 Richmond Street
Glasgow G1 1XH
Email: g.dunsire@strath.ac.uk

This page last updated: 23 Apr 2009