Creating a Searchable Media Archive for Modern Language and Culture: The REALIA Project

Introduction
REALIA: Rich Electronic Archive for Language Instruction Anywhere
Database developed through a collaboration of faculty, librarians and technologists from Global Partners institutions:

Associated Colleges of the South

ACM and GLCA

Rationale
Strong mandate from language faculty
Generation of visually-oriented students
Authentic materials best promote cultural literacy
Serves a multiplicity of student learners: images can serve at all levels of language instruction, in culture courses, in preparation for study abroad programs

Our Philosophy
Archive significant images with cultural
information and pedagogical suggestions
Ensure quality through
peer-review and editorial
    assistance
Capture the present while
    preserving the past
Free for educational use

Organization
Managing Board comprises technologists, librarians, faculty members
Language-specific editorial boards
Role of ACS Technology Center

Organization
Annual workshops
Student-faculty teams
Refine metadata, add images
Policy-making, planning

Organization
Cataloging workflow:
Faculty contributor (or student-faculty team)
Photographer, Title, Description, Pedagogical suggestions
Librarian
Realia type, LC subject, geographic locations, other… complete list

Partnerships and affiliations
MERLOT
Ideas, critiques,
cross-promotion
Federated searching
Showcase best practices
ARTstor
Part of pilot project
OAIster
Part of this meta-collection

Technology and standards
Software:  CONTENTdm
server at ACS Tech Center
Metadata:  Standards-based structure
Fields mapped to Dublin Core
Use of LC Subject Headings
OAI metadata harvesting
XML export of metadata

Demonstration of web site and database
www.realiaproject.org
Browse by language, simple or complex search, compound objects (multiple views), thematic groupings for searching, showcase contributor collections; teaching tools including comparisons, creating personal, downloadable collection
Demo 1
Demo 2
Demo 3

Technologies behind REALIA
System selection
Proprietary, homegrown, open source, partnerships
Centralized versus desktop
Requirements
Metadata flexibility
Avoid data lock-in
Distributed management with approval queue
Open standards
Support and continued R & D

Digital Asset Management Marketplace
Scope and size of DAM market
$1.5-3.0 billion annually; $320 million in profits
600+ vendors with 1,200+ applications
Ripe for consolidation
The Commercial Players
Artesia (publishing)
Canto (desktop to small workgroup)
eMotion (broadcast)
MediaBin by Interwoven (corporate)
North Plains ‘Telescope’ (publishing)
Webware (corporate)
IBM and Stellent (corporate)
Extensis (desktop to small workgroup)

Digital asset management in higher ed
Auto-Graphics Digital Asset Management
CONTENTdm
Documentum DAM
Dynix Horizon Digital Library
Endeavor ENCompass
Ex Libris Digitool
Innovative Interfaces Millennium Metasource
Luna Imaging Insight
SIRSI Hyperion
VTLS VITAL

Digital asset management – open source
FEDORA
Flexible Extensible Digital Object and Repository Architecture
Release 1.2.1 released April 20, 2004
Digital Library Extension Service
from the University of Michigan
Greenstone
e.g., Chopin collection at the University of Chicago
Madison Digital Image Database
MDID; v2.0 in July

Technologies behind REALIA - CONTENTdm
http://contentdm.com
Web-based presentation

Technologies behind REALIA - CONTENTdm
And web-based administration

Technologies behind REALIA - CONTENTdm

CONTENTdm – export functions
Thumbnail, service and full resolution images stored in directories in standard image formats

CONTENTdm – export functions
Metadata exporting

CONTENTdm – OAI harvesting

CONTENTdm – support
Distributed and supported by OCLC
Predictable costs
Continued development
JPEG2000
PowerPoint plug-in
Community open source developments

CONTENTdm and open source
Proprietary software + open standards has led to an open source community
Controlled vocabulary analyzer
Importable Library of Congress Subject Headings
E-commerce extension for ordering images
RSS feed generator to subscribe to collections
Direct linking to objects
XML Gateway for federated searching of CONTENTdm collections
Feedback tool for commenting/reviewing objects
OASIS – a web-based tool for organizing and importing images

Feedback tool
A means to solicit comments or review of CONTENTdm images
Feedback data sent via email to collection administrators
Modified from Oregon State’s  e-commerce scripts by Tim Moore (ACS)

Slide 26

Slide 27

Slide 28

OASIS
A substitute for CONTENTdm’s Windows-only image preparation tool
PHP and MySQL
Developed by staff at
The Midwest Instructional Technology Center
Associated Colleges of the South Technology Center

Slide 30

Slide 31

Slide 32

Slide 33

Technologies behind REALIA
What’s next?
Automated metadata
      creation

Technologies behind REALIA
What’s next?
OCLC E-learning report: make content accessible
Open standards, open source
Interoperability with other repositories
Sakai, Open Source Portfolio Initiative, Fedora

What’s next
Forming language editorial boards
NEH grant

By the numbers
Involvement in REALIA Project
Total images: ~1,000
Page accesses: ~2,000/month

How you can be involved
Use the resource for teaching; give us feedback
Contribute images
Consider how we might collaborate if you have complementary resource

Contact information
REALIA Project
http://realiaproject.org
Presenters
Jeff Overholtzer (joverholtzer@wlu.edu)
Scott Siddall (siddall@denison.edu)

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