Dear Code4Lib Community,

The Rutgers University Libraries are pleased to announce the 
availability of OpenMIC, a METS-based bibliographic utility for 
describing and managing resources. OpenMIC is the open source release of 
the Rutgers University Libraries’ RUCore repository bibliographic 
utility and will be maintained on the RUcore annual release schedule. 
Releases will include fixes for known problems and recommendations for 
enhancements received from internal projects and the user community at 
large. OpenMIC can be used as a stand alone metadata creation tool or 
with its companion object and workflow handling utility, OpenWMS, which 
will be released in fall 2009 and can interact with any repository 
software for a complete digital object management solution.

OpenMIC includes a complete METS metadata implementation with structure 
map, descriptive metadata, source metadata, technical metadata and 
rights metadata documents. OpenMIC incorporates MODS, Dublin Core, MIX 
(NISO technical metadata for images) AES (technical metadata for sound 
recordings) and PREMIS.

OpenMIC can be fully customized and managed for use at a single or at 
multiple institutions in a consortial environment. OpenMIC is currently 
in use for RUcore, the Rutgers Community Repository, the New Jersey 
Digital Highway, the statewide cultural heritage portal, and NJVid, the 
statewide digital video portal.

Features of OpenMIC include:

     * An event-based data model that enables libraries and archives to 
document significant events in the lifecycle of the resource, including 
full event description, agents and their roles and associated 
documentation, in any METS metadata category. For example, a library may 
create a rights event for a non-exclusive license, with the heir of the 
resource creator documented as donor and a PDF of the signed license 
linked as a related object. Events have been used to document exhibits 
and their curators, preservation activities and condition inventories.
     * The ability to create multiple METS documents and to link METS 
documents together (e.g., the source document for the analog source used 
to create a digital preservation copy documented in a technical metadata 
document)
     * An authentication and authorization module that enables 
administrators to set permissions at the organization, collection or 
project level.
     * The ability to determine required data elements and establish 
templates, based on organization, collection or project.
     * The ability to add taxonomies to any vocabulary-based data element
     * Management options based on single or multiple-organization use
     * Rich metadata for describing analog source objects, digital 
masters and associated rights.
     * An intuitive user interface that can be customized for simple or 
complex levels of description depending on the needs of the resource or 
collection or the expertise of the cataloger.
     * Complete documentation, including a metadata data dictionary.

OpenMIC was developed by a team of designers and programmers, led by Dr. 
Yang Yu, database architect at the Rutgers University Libraries and 
Kalaivani Ananthan, RUL open source applications manager. Metadata 
designers are Grace Agnew, Associate University Librarian for Digital 
Library Systems, Mary Beth Weber, Head of Technical Services, Jane Otto, 
Multimedia metadata and catalog librarian, Isaiah Beard, Digital Data 
Curator, and Kalaivani Ananthan. The development and release of OpenMIC 
is managed by the RUL open source software team, Kalaivani Ananthan and 
Chad Mills, RUL Programming Coordinator. OpenMIC is released through GNU 
GPL License 3.0. Basic support for the digital library community 
includes complete installation and user documentation, as well as 
communication tools for reporting bug fixes and suggesting enhancements. 
A higher level of support, including training and customization, is 
offered to the Rutgers University community, in active support of the 
many digital projects undertaken by the faculty and staff of the university.

OpenMIC was developed through funding from the National Science 
Foundation (NSF Award No: 0226140), the Institute of Museum and Library 
Services through a grant to develop the New Jersey Digital Highway 
(http://www.njdigitalhighway.org) and financial support from the Library 
of Congress to develop a bibliographic utility to support the MIC 
(Moving Image Collections) project. OpenMIC has also benefitted greatly 
from the expertise of the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA), 
who have contributed extensively to the technical metadata and events 
that can support the preservation and management of moving images in an 
archival setting. The Rutgers University Libraries gratefully 
acknowledge the support of these organizations.

OpenMIC can be downloaded from the RUcore Open Source Projects page: 
http://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/open/projects/openmic/

-- 
Chad Mills
Programming Coordinator
Ph: 732.445.5896
Fax: 732.445.5888
Cell: 732.309.8538

Rutgers University Libraries, Systems Department
Technical and Automated Services Building
47 Davidson Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854

http://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/