Is managing your digital resources getting a bit too much?

At Intrallect we know all about the explosion of digital content that is taking place in universities and colleges right now.

And perhaps ,more importantly we also know how to make the process of managing, storing and sharing your digital resources a whole lot easier.

Many challenges, but a common theme

For many universities and colleges the key issues and challenges have a familiar ring:

• Getting maximum return from valuable digital learning resources
• Meeting onerous reporting requirements (e.g. RAE) - research assessment, copyright auditing etc.
• Managing research outputs and making them available through open access
• Giving access to special collections - images, past exam papers, e-prints etc.
• Enhancing the quality of resources across teaching, research and management

But they key aspect of all of the above is that, regardless of which functional part of the University of College they impact on, the central issue around how you manage digital resources effectively is a generic, common theme for all.

Introducing intraLibrary

Which is where intraLibrary comes in - our digital repository that is specifically designed to help everyone including teaching staff, researchers, elearning specialists, resources creators and librarians get the most out of valuable digital resource like those mentioned above.

A single solution to multiple problems

They key thing to stress is that intraLibrary can overcome these problems without the need for costly and complex multiple repositories. This can all be amanged from a SINGLE instance of intraLibrary whilst providing the flexibility to customise the way that resources are managed, stored and used for specific audiences in your institution.

Some examples

Here is some additional detail on the ways that intraLibrary can be used:

Learning Resources Repository for all Types of Teaching

Digital Object Repository for Document Management (RAE)

Open Access Repository for Research Outputs

Image Repository

Subject Centred Repository for Multiple Institutions

Open Access Repository for Research Outputs

Research outputs (papers, reports and data sets) are increasingly being made openly available, particularly when they have been produced using public funding.

IntraLibrary can store all research outputs, those to be made available openly and those which are not. An open access web site can be easily created using Intrallect’s open source tool (SRU – search and retrieve by URL). This web site can then search and display the open access research outputs while keeping private those which are not (yet) open access. Only people with appropriate permission can add research outputs but anyone can use the open access web site without a username and password.

IntraLibrary may be used for many other things yet through the open access web site it appears as a simple open research output repository.

Learning Resources Repository for all Types of Teaching

Many universities and colleges have virtual learning environments or learning management systems. These support e-learning. However, most universities and colleges have many more different ways of teaching than through e-learning. Lectures, tutorials, laboratories and project work, private research and more all use digital learning resources.

IntraLibrary enables the institution to manage all its digital resources in one place while making them available to the e-learning tools as well as all the other forms of teaching and learning. This separates the management of resources from the management of e-learning courses and student activities so that the resources can be reused in many different contexts.

Learning resources can be handouts, presentations, worksheets, podcasts, video clips, Flash animations and other simple objects. Or they can be more complex simulations, case studies, interactive modules or short courses which contain hundreds of files and have multiple learning paths. IntraLibrary handles them all with ease.

Digital Object Repository for Document Management (RAE)

Every few years universities (in the UK) have to cope with the Research Assessment Exercise. This requires every research active member of staff to submit up to four of their research outputs. Managing these research outputs is a major headache. Many will be journal articles (increasingly available in electronic form) but many others will be books, conference proceedings, performances or patents. How can a university manage this diversity of resources while prioritising which to submit.

What is needed is a digital object repository that can hold all types of digital resource (data sets and web sites as well as electronic copies of journals and books). In addition some research outputs may exist in electronic copies on the Web or as physical copies on library shelves. IntraLibrary manages all of these with common record keeping for all types allowing them to be described, commented on and rated in workflows organised by internal groups within the University in preparation for the RAE. Every research output, whether it is digital or not, whether it is stored in the repository or elsewhere has its location unequivocally defined.

Image Repository

Images are among the most commonly shared resources in universities and colleges. They can be reused in so many different contexts. The biggest problem can often be finding the perfect image from the vast number available. That is where metadata becomes important. The keywords, titles and descriptions all help, but so do classifications that match the teaching and learning in your institution. When images originate in digital cameras there is even more metadata available automatically from the camera. IntraLibrary handles all these forms of metadata, making it easy to discover what you are looking for.

IntraLibrary can also manage the intellectual property rights for using digital content, so that all users will be aware of how they can use images in the repository.

But intraLibrary is not just an image repository so you may find video, Flash animations or audio - all discoverable through the metadata - that also match your search queries.

Subject-Centred repository for Multiple Institutions

It is common for academics to share resources with others in their own subject domain across different institutions or even different countries. Repositories are an ideal way of supporting these sharing communities. Digital resources can be research data or reports, teaching and learning resources, images, video and audio clips, case studies or simulations.

IntraLibrary encourages communities to share by supporting all types of digital objects. But intraLibrary goes further because it also breaks down some of the barriers that inhibit sharing. IntraLibrary’s community licences allow people who make their contributions available to assert the terms and conditions under which they can be used. Gone are the days of wondering what uses are permitted. What is more intraLibrary will keep you up to date. There is no need to log on regularly, just tell intraLibrary what your interests are and the intraLibrary news feeds will let you know whenever new material becomes available that matches your interests.

More information...?

For more information and Frequently Asked Questions about intraLibrary, click here.

To find out more about intraLibrary for Universities and Colleges, ask us a specific question, arrange a meeting or demonstration, please click here.

Back to intraLibrary for University and Colleges.