IESR Use Case 2: Gathering IESR Descriptions to Populate a Local Registry

Creator	Ann Apps, Mimas, The University of Manchester, UK
Date	2006-11-09
Identifier	http://iesr.ac.uk/use/uses-cases/usecase2.html
Rights	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence: Attribution Required; Non-Commercial; Share-Alike.

Use Scenarios

These scenarios illustrate various ways in which IESR might be used according to the Use Case detailed in the next section.

2.1 Metaxx is a metasearch portal that operates via MXG (NISO Metasearch XML Gateway that is based on SRU). The Metaxx portal has a database of resources that provide an MXG or SRU service, including details of connection to those services. There is a requirement to keep this database up-to-date, adding new resources in a timely fashion. Metaxx uses the IESR harvest (OAI-PMH) service to gather IESR descriptions of collections, services and agents. After the initial bulk data load Metaxx gathers modified records from IESR on a daily basis. Metaxx adds to its database information gathered from IESR about resources that match its remit, i.e. those with an MXG/SRU service.

2.2 ChemistryPortal is a subject-specific portal that provides information within the field of chemistry. The portal maintains a database of resources about chemistry. There is a requirement to keep this database up-to-date, adding new resources in a timely fashion. ChemistryPortal gathers information about resources from various sources, including IESR. ChemistryPortal uses the IESR harvest (OAI-PMH) service to gather IESR descriptions of collections, services and agents. After the initial bulk data load ChemistryPortal gathers modified records from IESR on a daily basis. ChemistryPortal adds to its database information gathered from IESR about chemistry resources.

2.3 BiblioCit is a bibliographic citation service that providers to its users citation details of current publications. (It maintains a database of these citations, but the source and mechanism for acquiring these citations is irrelevant to this use scenario.) BiblioCit generates OpenURL links from the citations to assist its users in finding the full text of the articles. It maintains an internal registry of OpenURL resolvers appropriate to its users. This enables BiblioCit to provide `appropriate copy' links for users whose OpenURL resolver address is registered, recognising their affiliation either from their IP address or from its proprietary login. It is preferable for BiblioCit to part-populate this registry with commonly known OpenURL resolver addresses (e.g. from UK HE institutions) from a public source, and to keep that information up-to-date. This means BiblioCit has to offer customisation and registration of an OpenURL resolver to a minority of its users who fall outside the domain of the public resolver registry. It is also preferable for performance reasons to maintain a local registry, rather than having to make a remote lookup to an OpenURL resolver registry or IESR for every access a user makes to an OpenURL link. BiblioCit collects IESR transactional service metadata on a regular basis and extracts details of OpenURL Resolvers from it to part-populate its own local registry. The details that BiblioCit requires are: the OpenURL resolver address; its applicable domain, e.g. an organisation's DNS name or IP range; the organisation's preferred text for the link; and the organisation's preferred image button for the link.

2.4 oaxx is a portal for Open Access material available from institutional and subject-based repositories. It has a web interface that provides searching or browsing its catalogue of repositories. A detailed record for a repository includes a description, subject terms relating to the repository according to a formal classification system, details of the repository's OAI-PMH service, and details of other access services the repository provides. The oaxx portal maintains a database of repositories including these details. There is a requirement to keep this database up-to-date, adding new resources in a timely fashion. oaxx uses the IESR harvest (OAI-PMH) service to gather IESR descriptions of collections, services and agents. It selects those that are repositories with OAI-PMH services and free availability and uses the details to populate the fields of its own database. After the initial bulk data load oaxx gathers modified records from IESR on a daily basis.

2.5 oaiList is a catalogue of collections that have an OAI-PMH service. The oaiList catalogue maintains a database of such collections. This is a simple set of properties including title, description, subject terms and OAI-PMH service address. oaiList uses the IESR harvest (OAI-PMH) service to gather simple Dublin Core descriptions of collections, services and agents. It selects the OAI-PMH services and their associated collections and uses the details to populate the fields of its own database. After the initial bulk data load oaiList gathers modified records from IESR on a weekly basis.

2.6 MIMAS Metadatabase is catalogue of resources provided from the JISC data centre at MIMAS, which has a Web interface and also a Z39.50 machine interface. There is a requirement to reuse the descriptions of these resources from IESR rather than support staff having to maintain two sets of descriptions. There is a requirement to keep this database up-to-date, updating and adding new descriptions in a timely fashion. MIMAS Metadatabase uses the IESR harvest (OAI-PMH) service to gather IESR descriptions of collections, services and agents. It selects those that are administered by MIMAS and transforms the details to populate the fields of its own database. After the initial bulk data load MIMAS Metadatabase gathers modified records from IESR on a daily basis.

2.7 UnionCat is a union catalogue that providers to its users details of publications available in major libraries. When a user in UK academia has discovered an item of interest, UnionCat wishes to assist them by searching their local library's catalogue to determine whether the publication is available there. It maintains an internal registry of library OPACs, each entry correlating the Z39.50 address (or other machine readable interface) of an OPAC within the institution's internet domain. It is preferable for UnionCat to part-populate this registry with commonly known OPAC details (e.g. from UK HE institutions) from a public source, and to keep that information up-to-date. It is also preferable for performance reasons to maintain a local registry, rather than having to make a remote lookup to IESR for every access a user makes to an OpenURL link. UnionCat collects IESR metadata on a regular basis and extracts details of OPACs within the `.ac.uk' domain to populate its own local registry.
[This scenario is based on a requirement from COPAC.]

Use Case

Use Case Summary

An application maintains a local registry of resources by collecting IESR descriptions on a regular basis.

Primary Actor (and goals)

Secondary Actors (and goals)

Stakeholders and Interests

Main Success Scenario

Extensions

[A possible extension to step n of the 'main success scenario' is labelled nx, steps involved in its execution being labelled nxm, etc.]