Texas Learning Object Repository | Preservation Network | Manakin / DSpace 1.5 |Statewide ETD Repository | Thesis and Dissertation Submittal System | Shibboleth Federation | Faculty Services
The Texas Digital Library (TDL) staff focuses efforts upon a few projects at a time. Current TDL development projects are listed below. For a list of existing TDL services, please visit the TDL Services page.
For additional information on current and past TDL projects, see the TDL Publications and Presentations page.
Texas Learning Object Repository (TxLOR)
With support from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Texas Digital Library is partnering with UT TeleCampus to create a statewide learning object repository that stores and disseminates materials used in teaching and learning. The project continues work begun by the University of North Texas, a TDL member institution, which initiated research on the project. For more information about TxLOR, visit the project wiki or the TxLOR blog.
UT TeleCampus has contracted with the TDL to provide technical development services for the project, including the creation of a submission workflow system, to be built in Grails, and a DSpace repository for dissemination of the learning objects.
Preservation Network
The preservation of the digital assets stored in the Texas Digital Library is a fundamental concern to be addressed as part of all the TDL’s services. A robust Preservation Network (PresNet) is being designed to provide long-term storage of digital information, geographically distributed storage nodes, and migration of supported formats to preserve the ability to access materials into the future.
Currently, the TDL Preservation Network consists of four nodes located at Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Texas Advanced Computing Center. The TDL is pushing several terabytes of data across PresNet in partnership with the Lonestar Education and Research Network.
Manakin / DSpace 1.5
Manakin is a customizable user interface developed at Texas A&M University, a TDL member institution, for use with the open-source digital repository software DSpace. Manakin enhances the DSpace platform by allowing organizational branding, metadata visualization, and look-and-feel changes both at the macro level and also at the level of individual communities, collections, and items. Released initally with DSpace version 1.4, Manakin became the default interface for DSpace 1.5, released in March 2008. For more information on Manakin, please visit the Manakin / DSpace section of the TDL publications and presentations page.
Statewide ETD Repository
With the backing of a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Studies (IMLS), the Texas Digital Library is building a federated digital repository housing electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) from colleges and universities across Texas. At present, the ETD repository includes submissions from five TDL member institutions, with future plans to solicit ETDs from universities all over the state.
Thesis and Dissertation Submittal System
While increasing numbers of Texas universities require students to submit electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), technology and workflow processes for ETD management and publication haven’t kept up with demand. The TDL’s Thesis and Dissertation Submittal System, called Vireo, addresses these concerns, providing a Web-based student submission interface and an administrative management interface. The system was developed as an open-source project, using Manakin and DSpace. It has been deployed at Texas A&M University and is in testing at several other Texas universities.
Shibboleth Federation
Much of what the Texas Digital Library does relies upon or is enhanced by access to basic information about the user — is he or she affiliated with a Texas institution of higher education? Which one? In what role? The answers to these questions are held by TDL member institutions, and the TDL makes use of this distributed information through a federated authentication system, Shibboleth. If your university is a member of the TDL’s Shibboleth Federation, you can log on to any TDL service using the same ID and password that you use to access your university services. For more information on the TDL Shibboleth Federation, please visit the Shibboleth section of the TDL publications and presentations page.
Faculty Services
Using open-source technologies, the Texas Digital Library has created a suite of faculty services designed to facilitate new ways of communicating and collaborating with other scholars and the wider public. Currently, the TDL provides blogs (powered by WordPress), research wikis (using MediaWiki software), and open-access electric journals (using the Open Journal Systems platform). Faculty members at TDL member institutions may also create personal Web pages in the Faculty Directory or manage academic conferences via TDL Online Conference Management tools. Faculty can request these services by visiting the TDL Services Request System.