The Enhancing Linnean Online project has completed its survey of required enhancements, and the report on its findings has now been agreed by the project team. These initial stakeholder assessments, based on face-to-face interviews and online feedback, provide an empirical basis for the planned development and enhancement of the system, and are now being adapted into a specification for the development work.
Details of the full report will ultimately be included in the project's final report. Here is a summary of the key enhancements, which will deliver improvements in the following areas:
1. Interoperability
- Ensure that direct specimen access by URL, a REST-ful based search API, and linked data endpoints are implemented effectively and intuitively
- Publish details and examples of the searching and linking APIs in online system documentation
- Identify external systems to link to, and use embedded linked data (RDFa) as the basis of linking
2. User Experience
- Upgrade repository software to EPrints 3.3 (for improved linked data, search and other functionality
- Redesign Item Page template (implementing design and features described in the report)
- Implement a number of requested UI enhancements (listed in report Appendix)
3. Metadata implementation
- Redesign metadata schema, and convert existing metadata, using a core set of common elements and using EPrints "Item Type" to implement each collection's metadata as a sub-class.
- Implement metadata as embedded linked data in Item Page (using Dublin Core and Darwin Core mappings defined in report Appendix)
4. Licensing
- Allow lower definition images to be used on the site: embed automatically a statement of LSL ownership in such images, and permit private/educational reuse under the terms of a non-commercial license
- Enhance the Administrator interface to enable Society’s librarians to access/request full-size copies of the images, and record permissions granted/actions taken for reuse.
5. Revenue generation
- No specific actions with regard to revenue generation, however if time permits we will investigate the feasibility of trialling an on-demand printing API, such as that of MOO, and report results.
6. Digital preservation strategy
- Review naming conventions and representations for image files in metadata during accessioning and archiving
- Improve integration of records processing with existing service via EPrints interface
- Trial EPrints file format validation tools to assess feasibility (with regard to scalability and architecture)
- Review and enhance procedures for ongoing planning and scheduling of accessioning
7. Educational reuse of the materials
- No specific recommendations (enhancements set out in Interoperability, User Experience, Metadata and Licensing will facilitate reuse), but educational use cases to be included in post-implementation testing and reviewing.
