A presentation given at a CETIS event at the University of Edinburgh on the use of Hydra to manage learning learning objects

1. Hydra, Fedora and
learning objects at
University of Hull
Chris Awre
CETIS Learning Object Repositories event, 5th August 2011

2. An exploration in three parts
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• Learning object activity at Hull, sub-part 1 (what we have done)
• Fedora
• Hydra
• Learning object activity at Hull, sub-part 2 (what we are hoping to
do)

3. Learning object activity at
Hull - 1

4. Learning object activity at Hull
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• Periodic interest in how a local repository might serve teaching
needs through management of learning objects
– But nothing substantial
– We focused on lower hanging fruit, meeting immediate
University needs
• UK Physical Sciences Centre OER Phase 1 project
– Skills for Scientists, 2009-10
– All materials placed in JORUM AND in local repository as back-
up archive
• https://edocs.hull.ac.uk/muradora/browse.action?parentId=hull%3A1
143&type=1
• Now also adding the Centre’s website resources (due to closure)

5. Related activity
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• Other materials in the repository are used for teaching
– Datasets
• Domesday Book data
• Historical Marine Animal Populations data
– Digitised library materials
• Books (either out of copyright or with copyright permission)
• Poetry
– Audio/video recordings (Creative writing)
• CLA digitised materials NOT in the repository at this point
– We’d like to include them, but granular security not quite good
enough yet

6. Fedora

7. Local need
Scalable solution (not one that has upper limit)
Digital content is only going to grow
Standards-based (open standards where possible)
To provide a future-proof exit strategy
Content agnosticism
We don’t know what types of content may come along
Content semantics
Recording the relationships between different pieces of
content supports future use and preservation
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8. Fedora functionality
• Flexible Extensible Digital Object Repository Architecture
– Powerful digital object model
– Extensible metadata management
– Expressive inter-, and intra-, object relationships
– Web service integration (SOAP and REST)
– Version management
– Configurable security architecture
– OAI-PMH conformance
– Preservation capable
– User interface flexibility
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9. Fedora Digital Object Model
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10. Fedora development
• Development has been overseen by DuraSpace since July ‘09
– Parent non-profit body for Fedora, DSpace, plus Mulgara, Akubra and
DuraCloud
• Fedora 3.5 out soon, and clear roadmap for future development outlined
• Organisation
– Core development team within DuraSpace
– Community-based committers drive software development in conjunction with
community input
• Committers from US, Canada, UK, Denmark, Germany, Australia
– Very active, and responsive, discussion lists
• Fedora-users/Fedora-developers
• Fedora UK&I
– Formed 2006, meets twice-ish a year
• Next meeting, 15th September, University of Manchester
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11. Areas of current activity
Committee papers
Theses
Dissertations
Exam papers
Student handbooks
E-prints/journal articles
Audio recordings
Open educational resources
Skull scan images
Datasets
University policies, procedures and regulations
Digitised content
LTSU documents
HR documentation
Lectures
Images
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12. Hydra

13. Why Hydra?
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• Our adopted interface to Fedora, Muradora, ceased development
– Funding withdrawn
– No community to pick it up (although some are persisting)
• Muradora was also essentially making Fedora act like a Dublin Core
registry with files attached
• We wished to take fuller advantage of the richness of Fedora’s model
• We needed a development that had community as an integral part of it
for sustainability
– Acknowledging we could not go alone
• Then we presented on the REMAP project at OR2008…

14. REMAP/RepoMMan
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• JISC-funded projects
• Explored how a repository could be incorporated in earlier parts
of the digital content lifecycle, as a working tool, not just an
endpoint
• Also examined how a repository could be proactive in its own
management
– Metadata generation
– Hooks for messaging and automation of actions
• Ultimately interested in how a Fedora repository could be made
more usable

15. Hydra
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• A collaborative project between:
– University of Hull
– University of Virginia
– Stanford University
– Fedora Commons/DuraSpace
– MediaShelf LLC
• Unfunded (in itself)
– Activity based on identification of a common need
• Aim to work towards a reusable framework for multipurpose,
multifunction, multi-institutional repository-enabled solutions
• Timeframe - 2008-11 (but now extended indefinitely)
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16. Multipurpose, multi-institutional approach
• A repository should be an enabler, not a constraint
– Repositories have been put forward as potential solutions for
a variety of use cases
– Hydra recognises that repositories can be used in the
management of digital content at different stages in the
lifecycle of that content
– It is therefore useful to consider how to enable multiple
interactions with a repository for different purposes
• “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go
together” (African proverb)
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17. Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration…
• Hydra is about working together in two ways
– It has started as a collaboration between like-minded partners
who have identified a shared set of issues and needs around
the development of repositories
– It recognises that the initial partners can lay out the
groundwork, but that others should be able to benefit from
this and build on it.
• Hydra is therefore seeking to enable
– A community of developers and adopters extending and
enhancing the core
– Collaboratively built “solution bundles” that can be adapted
and modified to suit local needs – Hydra heads!
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18. Four Key Capabilities
1. Support for any kind of record or metadata
2. Object-specific behaviors
– Books, Images, Music, Video, Manuscripts, Finding
Aids,Learning objects, etc.
3. Tailored views for domain or discipline-specific materials
4. Easy to augment & over-ride with local modifications
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19. Hydra partnerships
• From the beginning key aims have been and are:
– to enable others to join the partnership as and when they wished (MediaShelf
LLC have since joined, Northwestern, and Notre Dame waiting in the wings)
– to establish a framework for sustaining a Hydra community as much as any
technical outputs that emerge
• Establishing a semi-legal basis for contribution and partnership
• The Hydra project has developed a lot of guidelines around the
organisation and structure of content which can then be implemented
using its technology stack – Hydra compliant objects
– Exploiting the Fedora digital object model
• https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/hydra/Hydra+objects%2C+content+mo
dels+%28cModels%29+and+disseminators
• Although the guidelines could also be implemented using other
technologies
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20. The technical bit…
CRUD approach supports workflows over the repository
across the lifecycle of the content
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21. Why these technologies?
• Fedora
– All Hydra partners are Fedora users
• Solr
– Very powerful indexing tool, as used by…
• Blacklight
– Prior development at Virginia (and now Stanford/JHU) for OPAC
– Adaptable to repository content
• Ruby
– Agile development / excellent MVC / good testing tools
• Ruby gems
– ActiveFedora, Opinionated Metadata, Solrizer (MediaShelf
contributions)
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22. 2011/12 Hydra in Hull
• Work is ongoing to finish Hydra’s Hull adaptation in time for the new
academic year
– eDocs, the current repository UI will be turned off over the summer
• This will be one of a number of production reference implementations
within the Hydra community worldwide
• Hydra in Hull provides an end-user UI with graded levels of access +
create and manage functionality for particular users and groups
• Repository content can come in via other routes (e.g., the Research
Information System, SharePoint, etc.)
– Common construction, so Hydra understands it all (Hydra-compliant)
– All incoming material goes through a QA stage
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23. Learning object activity at
Hull - 2

24. How can we apply Hydra/Fedora to learning objects?
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• The Fedora digital object model allows us to develop a way of
structuring and describing learning objects within a repository
– Hydra provides a way of delivering this through CRUD
interfaces
• Two possible approaches
– A learning objects Hydra head!
• A specific set of workflows around learning objects, using the Hydra
code as the starting point and toolkit
– Incorporation of learning objects in an institutional repository
Hydra head
• More general applicability for wide range of objects

25. Next steps at Hull
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• We are taking, initially, the IR head approach, to further develop
the broad content approach to the provision of a repository for
the University of Hull
– Basing this on MODS metadata
• But potential to alter this in the future, based on Hydra flexibility
– Infrastructure is not constraining
• OER pilots scheduled for 2012
– Building on Skills for Scientists and local RLO project
– OER Phase 3 funding?
– Link research outputs to teaching (University strategic plan)
– Link repository to VLE (based on Sakai) – CLIF project

26. Contacts and links
Project Director: Chris Awre (c.awre@hull.ac.uk)
Project Manager: Richard Green (r.green@hull.ac.uk)
Blog: http://hydrangeainhull.wordpress.com
Temporary test site: http://hydra-test.hull.ac.uk
Watch this space: http://hydra.hull.ac.uk (currently the
original proof-of-concept site but will become the
production site)
(Current repository: http://edocs.hull.ac.uk)
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27. Where to learn more…
Web: http://projecthydra.org
Wiki: http://wiki.duraspace.org/display/hydra
List: hydra-tech@googlegroups.com
Code: http://github.com/projecthydra/
JIRA: https://jira.duraspace.org/browse/HYDRA
Meet: Fedora UK&I meeting, Manchester, 15th September
Hydra Camp, Minneapolis, October 2011
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28. Thank you