Lessons in Cross-Repository Interoperability learned from the aDORe effort [Augmenting interoperability across repositories: architectural ideas]

Abstract

The aDORe digital repository architecture designed and implemented by the Los Alamos Research Library is fully standards-based and highly modular, with the various components of the architecture interacting in a protocol-driven manner. Although aDORe was designed for use in the context of the Los Alamos Library, its modular and standards-based design has led to interesting insights regarding possible new levels of interoperability in a federation of heterogeneous repositories. The presentation will discuss these insights, and will illustrate that attractive federations of repositories can be built by introducing rather basic interoperability requirements. The presentation will also show that, once these requirements are met, a powerful service framework that overlays the federation can emerge.