Digital Assets Repository

The Digital Assets Repository (Arabic: مستودع الأصول الرقمية‎ or DAR) is a system developed at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) by the International School of Information Science (ISIS) to create and maintain digital library collections and preserve them to future generations.[1]

The project's main goal is to build a digital resources repository by supporting the creation, use, and preservation of varieties of digital resources as well as the development of management tools. These tools help BA library to preserve, manage and share digital assets. The system is based on evolving standards for easy integration with web-based interoperable digital libraries.[2]

DAR is designed to manage the full lifecycle of a digital asset: its creation and ingestion, its metadata management, storage and archival in addition to the necessary mechanisms for publishing and dissemination. In 2011, DAR system architecture was revamped and upgraded to its 3rd release in order to answer challenges that face an institution in consolidating its assets.[3]

Access

BA announced launching the largest Arabic digital library worldwide, maintained by DAR in April 2010 with 130,000 books.[1] In 2011 and ongoing, the repository reached 185,000[4] Arabic books out of a 5-language collection of 300,000 books.[5]

DAR provides free public access to the library's digitized collections through a web-based search and browsing facilities[2][6] for Internet visitors directly via DAR's website. The site supports three languages interface: Arabic, English and French,[lower-alpha 1] and is listed at Egypt's Government Services Portal (Bawaba) website.[7][lower-alpha 2]

DAR website allows its online visitors to access full content of the public domain digitized books in the repository, but limits access to preview only (5%) snippet for the copyrighted digitized books with 10 pages minimum. Moreover, it provides different viewing options for repository contents, in addition to other tools such as: searching content; using annotation tools; adding sticky notes; tagging, rating and commenting on books; sharing books on social networks; and creating own virtual bookshelves per user.[8][lower-alpha 3]

See also

Notes
  1. The homepage defaults to the English language interface.
  2. Bawaba (egypt.gov.eg) lists DAR website under Service Providers section of the English site interface. (Home > Main Menu > Service Providers > Alexandria Library > Digital Assets Repository)
  3. English website interface locates Sign Up and Member Login links at the top of its homepage, but no reference anywhere on the site about registration process and benefits.

References
  1. George M. Eberhart (2013). The Whole Library Handbook 5: Current Data, Professional Advice, and Curiosa. American Library Association. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-8389-1090-0.
  2. Saleh, Iman; Adly, Noha; Nagi, Magdy (2005). DAR: A Digital Assets Repository for Library Collections. Research and Advanced Technology for Digital Libraries. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 3652. Springer Science + Business Media. pp. 116–127. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.106.1015. doi:10.1007/11551362_11. ISBN 978-3-540-28767-4.
  3. Mikhail, Youssef; Adly, Noha; Nagi, Magdy (2011). DAR: Institutional Repository Integration in Action. Research and Advanced Technology for Digital Libraries. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 6966. Springer Science + Business Media. pp. 348–359. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-24469-8_36. ISBN 978-3-642-24468-1.
  4. Stefan Gradmann; Francesca Borri; Carlo Meghini; Heiko Schuldt (15 September 2011). Research and Advanced Technology for Digital Libraries: International Conference on Theory and Practice of Digital Libraries, TPDL, Berlin, Germany, September 26-28, 2011, Proceedings. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 357. ISBN 978-3-642-24468-1.
  5. "Embassies of Knowledge". International School of Information Science (ISIS). Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  6. Ravindra N. Sharma; IFLA Headquarters (30 July 2012). Libraries in the early 21st century, volume 2: An international perspective. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 213–214. ISBN 978-3-11-029285-5.
  7. OECD (21 March 2013). OECD e-Government Studies OECD e-Government Studies: Egypt 2013. OECD Publishing. p. 138. ISBN 978-92-64-17878-6.
  8. Digital Assets Repository. Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Missing or empty |title= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)

Further reading
  • Arseneault, Michel. "Alexandria, from papyrus to the Internet." The UNESCO Courier 52, no. 4 (April 1999): 40-42. and
  • Bilboul, Roger. "The Library of Alexandria Reopens." Information Today19, no. 11 (December 2002): 26.
  • Watson, Bruce. "Rising Sun." Smithsonian, April 2002.
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