LHC Repository System

LHC is currently working on a system to move it's information repository onto the Drupal platform. This repository can be divided into (at least) five distinct components:

• Archival repository - about 700 archival collections
• Image repository - about 10,000 photographs
• Oral history repository - about 600 recorded interviews
• Objects collection - about 300 physical objects
• Library - about 400 books

Each of these components has it's own metadata requirements, but for consistency and compliance with the OAI-PMH (Open Archives Initiatives - protocol for metadata harvesting) we'll use Dublin Core as a minimum for all collections. We'll expose the entire collection to OAI-PMH harvesters, like
http://www.digitalcommonwealth.org
http://www.oaister.org
And, of course, google. It is expected that the number of these harvesters will grow rapidly over the next few years, and our compliance with OAI-PMH will greatly increase our exposure to the research community.

Each repository is described in detail in a separate chapter of this book. The Objects and Library collections are the lowest priority and might not be implemented until late 2008. The others should be implemented through the first half of 2008.