Service description
Library network services offer systems and support for online publication of digital materials. The basic service includes tools for entering, managing and online publication of materials, as well as user support, tape backups and user interfaces for using the publication archives from other systems. As an added service, we convert data from customers’ other systems and refine it into an integral, well-structured publication archive. The service includes technology and tools for online publication; the customer is responsible for the content, such as entering and managing materials.
The easiest way to join the service is to become part of Doria, a centralised publications archive used by numerous organisations. Should the publication archive have a great number of special requirements, a more tailored publication archive of their own can be created for the customer. Key parts of the technology have been implemented using the open source code DSpace software, which has been adapted to suit our purposes. In addition, we also use our own software to complement the package. In addition to Doria, we maintain Theseus, Julkari, TamPub, Jukuri, Fenno-Ugrica and Lauda.
- Entering data is done using forms tailored for customer needs or directly from customers’ data systems through interfaces. It is possible to determine user rights and entry stages in the system, which allows management of the materials’ passage through the entry stage towards a finished online publication. For example, it is possible for researchers and students to enter and describe their materials on their own, after which the staff of the organisation will check and revise it further before the final online publication.
- Customers are provided support in material management in the form of tools for editing, mass-editing, limiting user rights, and statistics functions, as well as reusing materials and transferring them to other systems. Customers have complete control over their materials throughout their life cycle. For example, customers always have the opportunity to copy and transfer their materials to another system, if they want.
- Online materials are retrievable with tailored browsing and search functions. For text publications, such as PDF files, the search will also cover the whole text in addition to description data. The Lucene search engine’s syntax enables both easy-to-use and more specific searches within the publication archive or from other systems through user interfaces. This means that searches can be integrated for an online store or a search portal. Our publication archive supports OAI interfaces, such as OAI-PMH and OAI-ORE, with the help of which materials can be harvested into search portals, such as Finna, WorldCat and Base. The materials can be visibly indexed by search engines, for example Google indexes the whole text in addition to description data. The user interface makes it easy to share the materials on social media. It is always possible to get a permalink for the published materials, which will ensure that the URL of the material will remain the same even if the record platform or service provider changes in the future.
- Conversion services are needed when materials are added retrospectively to the publication archive from and old system or a system to be integrated. Conversion is an individual process, which is always planned in cooperation with the customer. Almost without exception, conversion also entails a need to correct deficiencies or inconsistencies originating in the old systems. Consequently, conversion often also entails harmonisation and enrichment, as a result of which materials can be found online more easily. Our publication archives use the Dublin Core (DC) description format. We will guide the customer in selecting the DC fields suitable for the materials, in order to make them as uniform as possible with the publication archives so that the desired search and browsing needs can be met.
The aim of the institutional repository service is to support open access to publications produced by the public sector in a long-term and uniform manner. Organisations can focus on their core functions, and parties requiring data will benefit from the fact that publications are easy to find and harmoniously described. The service is a fee-based business, which finances the costs of the service. However, the costs incurred are negligible compared to the organisation managing its own publication archive. Read more about the phasing of the service rollout, agreements and prices here.
