Dear code4lib,

The Rutgers University Libraries are pleased to announce the availability of OpenWMS, a web-based workflow management tool for managing digital objects and their associated metadata.  OpenWMS is the open-source release of the Rutgers University Libraries’ RUcore repository workflow management tool 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. OpenWMS can be used as a standalone metadata creation tool or it can interact with any repository software for a complete digital object management solution.  

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

Features of OpenWMS:

- 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

- An authentication and authorization module that enables administrators to set permissions at the organization and collection level

- The ability to determine required data elements and establish templates, based on collection

- The ability to add taxonomies to any vocabulary-based data element

- Management options based on single or multiple-organization use

- 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

- Rich metadata for describing analog source objects, digital masters and associated rights 

- Complete documentation, including a metadata data dictionary

- Configurable digital file handling module that allows the administrators to set up file uploading policies based on the organization’s need

- Ability to batch import metadata and digital files from external sources

- Ability to batch export metadata records in XML

- Ability to ingest digital objects into a Fedora repository 

OpenWMS 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 (www.njdigitalhighway.org) and financial support from the Library of Congress to develop a bibliographic utility to support the MIC (Moving Image Collections) project.  OpenWMS has also benefited greatly from the expertise of the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA), whose members 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 acknowledges the support of these organizations. 

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

Please send inquiries to the Open Source Support Team ([log in to unmask]).

--
Chad Mills
Programming Coordinator
Ph: 732.932.8573 x123
Fax: 732.932.1386
Cell: 732.309.8538

Rutgers University Libraries
Scholarly Communication Center
Room 409D, Alexander Library
169 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

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