Central Digital Repository Assumptions and Principles

1. The Library's central digital repository will be based on the prototype model developed by the DL Research and Development group.
2. The central digital repository will be a curated repository that is available to the UVa community. Its content will include: 1) both born-digital and digital surrogates, 2) acquired electronic content (both on-site and off-site), 3) user projects once they have been selected as appropriate for addition to library resources.
3. Interface designs that ensure "branding" for the University of Virginia Library digital collections will be implemented.
4. Valid XML will be used for any structured formatted texts put into the central digital repository.
5. All of the Library's digital collections (text, images, audio/sound, videos, learning objects…) will [eventually] be delivered via the central repository infrastructure.
6. This group will identify an acceptable range of uniform practices for management of resources necessary for building a central digital repository.
7. The DLPS unit will serve as gateway to the central digital repository and will ensure adherence to standards, practices, and processes.
8. The creativity and leading-edge activities of the E-Centers should be maintained while the role of the E-Centers will change with regard to production.
9. User access and usability should drive decisions to implement delivery methods, user interfaces, and new functionality.
10. Each participant will find a way to support the LofT goals.
11. Users should be able to discover both traditional and digital materials in a unified manner.
12. Delivery of content is one of many services users will need.
13. This group's agenda will not attempt to address ALL LofT issues.
14. The need for digital preservation standards has emerged as an issue that needs action.
15. Some form or regular communication to the broader Library will be established.
16. Refresh rate for standards will vary widely based on media type.

II. Development Principles

1. The central digital repository will be a single logical disk space that holds all the delivery versions of our digital resources, all the computer programs they need, and all the metadata about them.
2. During development, everything in the Library’s digital collection including all resource, program, and metadata files, will be copied to the central digital repository without disturbing the current delivery process. Eventually the old version will be turned off, and the new public version will become the single authoritative [public] viewable version of each “object”.
3. Someone will be assigned to coordinate development of new designs for the delivery of every resource, with respect to both functionality and look-and-feel.
4. Someone will be assigned to coordinate programming efforts for the development of all the computer programs to do the delivery, carrying out the decisions of that group with the most appropriate technology.
5. All SGML will be converted to valid XML in the process of moving files to the central digital repository, unless an exception is deemed necessary.
6. We will move to a system of persistent identifiers for all files that will be implemented completely in the central digital repository. This includes changing references to external files that are embedded in XML files or in databases.
7. This work will proceed completely outside of the Fedora™ management system for the time being since the data architecture can be implemented ahead of the system.