Frequently Asked Questions About Depositing Objects into UAiR

Usually, a repository's administrators establish guidelines for deposits. Ultimately, the community decides what is deposited based on what they view as significant. For every deposit, there is a balance between the costs of digitization, systems, and storage and the value of the documents, files, and digital assets that are being preserved and presented through a repository. In the case of the University of Arizona, the librarians of the Libraries were initially charged with reviewing and recommending collections for deposit into UAiR. Over time, these responsibilities will expand to include departments and personnel across campus.

There are always limitations. The most universal limitation is that we deposit only what we can afford. Digitization, systems, and storage cost money. There are salaries to pay. Then there is electricity, security, back-ups, etc. To pay for all this, depositors will want to plan their digitization and preservation needs. Almost all granting organizations accept Open Archive Initiative (OAI) projects largely as a matter of course. Grants for digitization and preservation are available through dozens and dozens of government agencies and independent grant-funding organizations.

This is a tough question. Specific to UAiR, the technical requirements for OAI will be applied to all deposits. However, access to to individual objects and collections might be restricted. Access to digital objects might be restricted because of a file type. For example, if a 100 MB high-resolution image is deposited and a 500 KB version exists, Digital Commons will restrict open access to the high-resolution image in an effort to save bandwidth and processing. Access to digital objects might be restricted based on subject. For example, personal materials that would otherwise sealed for a period of 20 or 50 years will be sealed within UAiR. In similar fashion, objects prevented from the public by federal regulation or national security will also be restricted within UAiR. In other cases, contractual obligations may prevent access. For example, if a department deposits a digital collection of artwork that is subject to copyright limitations that are managed by the artist or the artist's family, access to the digital images and artifacts are able to accommodate and restrict open access.

Repositories are designed for long-term preservation of digital objects. Important assets can be stored and harvested months, years, even decades in the future for study, analysis, and enjoyment. From a repository, researchers, educators, and aficionados can “harvest” information to further knowledge and personal development. Unless specific restrictions are assigned to digital assets, repositories are generally open and, through the use of OAI-standard methods and practices, deposits can easily be shared.

In addition to exposing the assets stored in UAiR, digital assets from repositories around the world can be linked, referenced, joined, and used to create collections, subcollections, classroom materials, digital exhibits, and research projects. As UAiR matures, federation with other repositories will become rather simple, and the research possibilities are virtually endless.

This depends. Recall that harvesting results only in the distribution of the metadata attached to a digital asset. If the metadata is exposed, the metadata can be harvest. It doesn't matter whether the digital asset is exposed. Now, if the digital asset is not unexposed, then no one can use the object.

This gives us the flexibility of people being aware that a digital asset exists but also keep the asset from being used. A good example of when we might do such a thing would be when we store a copyrighted or otherwise protected piece of digital artwork. Public release of the copyrighted material may be prohibited, but the release of the metadata for that object (describing the object) might be desired.

Another case when an object is not exposed but the metadata is occurs with historical colletions, such as a private collection of documents or images where we know a specific artifact has been lost. We know the artifact did in fact exist. We might have text about it or a log book that includes the name of the artifact. We will store within UAiR a metadata record that is exposed so that people know about the lost object. For examples of such a thing, you could browse through our Shantz image collection.

Metadata is information that describes an object or digital asset. For some disciplines there are metadata standards that mandate the types of information that will be used as well as the formats in which the metadata will appear. UAiR uses a library standard called Dublin Core to define each digital object. In some cases, more comprehensive or deposit-specific metadata fields or formats may also be applied.

No. Each object's PID is generated during ingest.

This question is under review by the administrators of UAiR. Generally, deposits should be long-term (if not permanent). For inquiries regarding specific needs, contact the UAiR.