In message
<[log in to unmask]
k>, David Dawson <[log in to unmask]> writes
>
>Can you confirm for us whether the MODES Webserver has/will/could
>support OAI harvesting.
There is a separate ModesOAI CGI program which provides OAI support,
which I originally wrote/enhanced around the time of the Metasearch
project and subsequently updated for ModesXML while working with the
Wordsworth Trust. As it happens, I installed the MXML program at the WT
earlier this week and checked that it works. However, I'm afraid you
can't test it, because the OAI program is only accessible within their
network, and is protected from the outside world by a "screening"
program I wrote which only allows requests from specified IP addresses.
(Also, it currently only delivers data in DC Culture format, so strictly
speaking it isn't a proper OAI server ;-) )
Given the generality of the OAI spec, I have implemented ModesOAI so
that it is driven by a user-supplied control document (XML, of course)
which specifies which files to harvest from, which metadata formats are
supported and which XSLT transforms to apply to the data to achieve each
metadata format. This means that users can use ModesOAI to deliver any
XML that their core data can be turned into by means of an XSLT
transform.
The OAI concept of "sets" is tied into ModesXML indexes, and again the
user can specify which indexes represent an OAI "set". It's a fairly
crude form of information retrieval, but not too bad for what is meant
to be a harvesting mechanism.
ModesOAI isn't currently part of the released MODES product, and I would
have to consult with the MUA about a strategy for releasing it more
generally.
It's worth pointing out that several other collections databases support
OAI, or at least did so during the Metasearch project, so it's possible
that a significant proportion of U.K. museums could already have access
to this technology.
Richard
--
Richard Light
SGML/XML and Museum Information Consultancy
[log in to unmask]
**************************************************
For mcg information and to manage your subscription to the list, visit the website at http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk
**************************************************
|