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/
