Digital Collections Development Workflow Overview

The workflow indicated below is accompanied by the creation of digital masterfiles stored in the Library Digital Repository's OCFL filesystem, from where they will be delivered directly, via IIIF in the case of TIFF images, through the use of ARK identifiers in the metadata being loaded into UChicagoNode. The workflow presuppose the existence of metadata for each object to be displayed in a web interface. All text files will require OCR of the very best accuracy, partly to support full-text search and partly to support machine learning applied to the texts. The details of the preceding are not described in this document.

Establish Rights and Permissions (Constraints)

These may include copyright, performers rights, ethical considerations, agreements with donors in the case of archival materials, etc.

Metadata

Metadata needs to be provided or created, and remediated. For example, dates need to use ISO 8601/EDTF. Locations need to have TGN codes as their values. (This is described in detail elsewhere in this documentation.)

Create Static Content

Digital collection are provided with static content describing the collection, including a statement of rights and permissions. These are created by principal investigators or stakeholders.

Create Wireframes/Mockups

These are developed with stakeholders and present a static representation of what all pages in the digital collection interface will look like.

Note: Collections not needing customized interfaces will not need the creation of wireframes/mockups.

Define Actions for Interface Elements

All actions on the interface (actions include searches, browses, and clicking on links for item or series pages) need to be identified. Collections not needing customized interfaces will not need the creation of action definitions. They will use the core definitions.

Code the Interface

The interface is coded on the basis of the wireframes/mockups, action definitions, and the APIs.

Publish the metadata as XML

The metadata is queried through APIs, which return XML or JSON.

Publish the metadata as RDF

Triples are loaded into the named graph http://lib.uchicago.edu/uchicagonode.

The two requirements for doing this are (1) all elements required for the interface should be represented; (2) all required EDM elements and those required by local practice should be represented. See Europeana Data Model (EDM) Required ProvidedCHO Elements for use with University of Chicago Library Digital Collections. Other elements may also be included. Note that, unless otherwise indicated in the required elements document, DCMI properties in the terms namespace are to be preferred to properties in the elements/1.1 namespace/ (see DCMI Metadata Terms: Section 1: Introduction and Definitions).

Launch Site

For a new collection interface, stakeholder sign-off is required.

There is a division of work between what the Library does independently of OCHRE (indicated in grey in the diagram), and work which depends on OCHRE. See also Minimum Requirements for Preparing Digital Collections for UChicagoNode.