Open source digital library on open educational resources
| Pages | 1022-1039 |
| Published date | 09 December 2019 |
| Date | 09 December 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-11-2018-0225 |
| Author | Nur Ahammad |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
Open source digital library on
open educational resources
Nur Ahammad
Library Department, Independent University, Dhaka, Bangladesh and
Library Department, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to explain the implementation procedure of DSpace at the Library of
IndependentUniversity, Bangladesh. This paper shows how DSpace is promotingopen educational resources
(OER) movementand demonstratesthe ease of implementing DSpace in an institution. Moreover, the purpose
of this paper is to encourage library professionals to participate in the OER movement by implementing
DSpace in theirlibraries.
Design/methodology/approach –The requirementsfor implementing DSpace have been shown in this
paper. It also describesthe system model of an academic repository (DSpace)/digital library(DL). In addition,
the paper describes the legal issuesfor submitting an item in DSpace and self-submission process of an item
as well as shows impactof DSpace on OER.
Findings –Open source software and Open Access Institutional Repository software has a fundamental
role in promoting OER. DSpace is perfect for building a DL or an institutional repository in libraries,
especially for developing country libraries because this demands low cost and it is easy to implement in
librariesas well as is user-friendly.
Originality/value –This paper will help to understand the roleof the library community and librarians
about OER. It will also show the impact of DL on OER. In addition, this paper encourages librarians to
participatein OER movement.
Keywords Digital libraries, Open educational resources, Institutional repositories, Digital archives,
Digital storage, Collection management, Content management, Developing countries
Paper type Case study
Introduction
From almost the beginning of human civilization, libraries have been considered as
essential institutions for preserving and disseminating human cultures. In extension,
digital libraries (DLs) and institutional repositories (IRs) help to preserve and
disseminate human cultures. In this context, both DLs and IRs are doing the same
job. Before the innovation of the computer, libraries kept their resources in various
forms. But, after the innovation of the computer, libraries are using day-by-day more
and more digital contents and resources. Nowadays, open source DLs and IRs play a
vital role in the field of open access (OA) and the open educational resources (OER)
movement for scholarly publications. Open access (OA) DLs and IRs have a deep
relationship with OERs. Many institutions are using DSpace for collecting and
disseminating their publications around the globe. It becomes especially important
for developing countries because educational institutions in these areas lack the
necessary financial ability to purchase software for DLs and IRs. DSpace is an OA
repository software. It is also easy to implement in educational institutions, so many
educational institutions select DSpace for their DLs and OER dissemination
purposes.
EL
37,6
1022
Received17 November 2018
Revised18 March 2019
22June 2019
26September 2019
Accepted7 October 2019
TheElectronic Library
Vol.37 No. 6, 2019
pp. 1022-1039
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/EL-11-2018-0225
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0264-0473.htm
Background
Digital library and institutional repository overview
DLs and IRs are used for the same purpose in a library, according to definitions and
contexts. In the field of information and library science, phrases, such as digital library,
electronic library,library portal,virtual library,web library,online library and e-library, are
used interchangeably (Masrek and Gaskin,2016). A digital library is defined as a collection
of objects, including text, video and audio,along with methods for access and retrieval, and
for selection, organization and maintenanceof the collection (Witten and Bainbridge, 2003).
DLs are organizations that provide selected and structured digital resourcesfor intellectual
access and employ specialized personnel to provide assisted access. This assisted access
interprets, distributes and preserves the integrity and ensures the persistence over time of
collections of digital works, so they are readily and economically available for use by a
defined community or group of communities [Digital Library Federation (DLF), 1998]. DLs
are an organized collection of information; they are collections of all kinds of digital
materials that are useful in the field of education and research.Not only this, DLs also have
the ability to distribute and disseminate their collections. In addition, in the context of a
library, DLs must have some basic entities, such as metadata schemes, standard metadata
interchange protocols, indexing/search engines and the ability to grow with future needs.
An institutional repository is a set of services and technologies that provides the means to
collect, manage, provide access to, disseminate and preserve digital materials produced at
an institution. While most IRs are based at colleges and universities, they also exist in
governmental agencies, museums, corporations and other organizations. Within colleges
and universities, most IRs are managed by the library (Markey et al.,2007). DLs/IRs store
and disseminate pre-print and post-print articles, theses, dissertations, internship reports,
working papers, books, book chapters, teaching materials, conference proceedings, audio
and video recordingsand many other things which are related to education.
Regarding open education resources
OERs are educational resources which are openly and freely accessible for everybody. It
means, without payment, users of educational resources can use their scholarly materials
over the internet or in information centers. It is not limited to the internet. These resources
can also be freely accessible in libraries and information centers without consideration of
users’color, race or location. Bell (2018) said that OERs are educational materials and
resources that are publicly accessible, meaning that they are openly available for anyone to
use and under some licensesto re-mix, improve and redistribute. OER is also a movementin
education that seeks to counter costly, commercially-produced learning content –typically
textbooks –with publicly accessible material that is licensed so that it can be freely
distributed and shared (Bell, 2018). OERs should be created with the collaboration of
educators, learners and scholars. OERs can be accessed freely by everyone. OERs include
openly licensed course materials, lesson plans, textbooks, games, software and other
materials that support teaching and learning. However, an OER is not limited to just the
resources themselves. It also draws upon open technologies that facilitate collaborative,
flexible learning and the open sharing of teaching practices that empower educators to
benefit from the best ideas of their colleagues. It may also grow to include new approaches
to assessment, accreditation and collaborative learning. Understanding and embracing
innovations like this is critical to the long-term vision of this movement (Cape Town Open
Education Declaration, 2007). The Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) specified that
open access means it is available on thepublic internet without any cost, access is granted to
every user to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search or link to the full texts of these
Open source
digital library
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