ManagIR - a web application for managing and monitoring IR records, their data and associated tasks

ManagIR - a web application for managing and monitoring IR records, their data and associated tasks

Successfully managing an Institutional Repository (IR) is a complex and ongoing affair. A single IR undergoes constant changes including the import of new records as well as the modification and removal of existing records and their associated identifiers,data streams, metadata and harvest
feeds. Completing all tasks thoroughly and efficiently ensures accurate results for end users and
service providers.
Use Case:
To appreciate the complexity of managing such tasks, consider one of the many possible use case scenarios. A scholar has relocated from institution X to institution Y and would like their past publication data added to institution Y repository. Areas of difficulty updating institution Y repository include (but are not limited to):
• incompatibility between the export and ingest mechanisms of repository software used by both institutions prevents forms of automated migration resulting in a laborious process using tradition methods of managing tasks.
• the lack of availability of research documents from X due to copyright and embargo delays forcing future reminders and tasks to be set using traditional methods.
• redundancy issues of records entered manually by different members of institution Y.
• unmanageable task management using spreadsheets generated as checklists due to size and redundancy issues.
ManagIR is an application that harnesses the versatility of the web and implementation of the open archives initiative. ManagIR is integrated with an existing application known as The Fascinator which provides existing harvesting, storage and indexing technologies. This poster demonstrates
how ManagIR is able to solve this (and other) case scenarios.
ManagIR
The Application:
• is web based, the granularity of deployment can range from a desktop within an institution to a server the cloud.
• can be shared by repository managers, library staff and scholars from multiple locations using user and group style authentication.
• maintains a fresh copy of the OAI-PMH feed relating to the given repository. Re-harvesting intervals can be customised in accordance with IR requirements.
• allows users to select record/records and assign tasks associated to those records.
• allows additional information to be associated with a task such as email notification, calendar appointment requests, progress of task and reassignment and completion notification.
• provides visual notification by color coding individual records relating to importance. This will provide easy recognition of normal records versus those that require attention.
• has increased scalability over static documents.
• provides an accurate representation of what is currently being offered to service providers.

Copyright Tim McCallum, 2010. Paper licensed under Creative Commons GNU GPL (Software).