JCDL 2006

Sandy Payette and Chris Wilper

Abstract

This tutorial is an introduction to the Fedora Service Framework, which is an open-source service-oriented architecture for digital repositories. We will discuss how Fedora acts as an enabling technology for accommodating a diverse set of user needs across different communities, and how it is positioned as an evolutionary technology that can be adapted to fulfill new user requirements over time. Central to the framework is the Core Repository Service which provides essential capabilities for ingesting, storing, managing, preserving, and disseminating digital content in the form of digital objects. Loosely coupled within the Fedora framework are supporting services that make the repository environment more than just a storage system. We will examine the repository in relationship to ingest, workflow, preservation, search, and other important services. We will discuss the reasons one would choose Fedora as the basis for digital libraries, institutional repositories, digital preservation, scholarly communication, and related problems. Finally, we will review Fedora’s involvement in demonstrating new standard-based approaches to cross-repository interoperability via OpenURL and RDF.

Target Audience

Information science specialists, including technically-oriented librarians and archivists, information technology specialists, and digital library architects, who wish to understand the capabilities of Fedora and the benefits of service-oriented architectures for libraries and other information-oriented institutions. There is no pre-requisite for this tutorial.

Presenters

Sandy Payette, Co-Director of Fedora Project, Cornell Information Science

Chris Wilper, Senior Software Engineer, Fedora Project, Cornell Information Science