Poster created for Open Repositories 2014, tracking the UTSC Library Digital Scholarship Unit's content migration project from proprietary CONTENTdm to the open source platform Islandora.

1. 2010 - founding of the
Library’s Digital Scholarship
Unit. CONTENTdm used due
to limited infrastructure
resources & gentle learning
curve. Workflow utilizes a
campus shared drive.
2013 - Collections have
about 25,000 digital items
(multipage manuscripts,
postcards, and paintings).
Local copies of files remain
on shared drive. Filenames
are the identifiers.
1. Metadata
mapped &
exported to one
large DC XML
doc per
collection
2. Python used to
normalize XML and fix
errors
PROCESS IS TRIAL & ERROR.
EXPOSES METADATA ERRORS &
INCONSISTENCIES
How to migrate? New
batch ingest framework
can be run on server
using drush. Requires
matching filename &
xml file, as well as
specialized directory
structure for books
3. XSL transforms DC to
MODS, splits file, names
file to match .tiff images.
4. Python used to package
.tiffs and metadata for
book solution pack.
Bye Bye, ContentDM!
a migration to Islandora
The Digital Scholarship Unit (DSU):
• Part of the University of Toronto
Scarborough Library
• Formed in 2010 to create unique digital
collections and collaborate with faculty using
emerging digitally-mediated research
practices
• Services include: creation and stewardship
of collections, digital research methodology,
instruction in digital tools for undergraduate
and graduate students as well as faculty
Lingling Jiang Applications Developer
Kim Pham Special Project Developer
Sara Allain Special Collections Librarian
Paulina Rousseau Digital Scholarship Librarian
Kirsta Stapelfeldt Coordinator
3 FTE Librarians
• Project Management & Instruction
1 FTE Applications Programmer
• Liaise with IITS - develop &
maintain systems/apps
Casual & Student staff
• Digitization & processing
IITS (Information
& Instructional
Technology Services)
consists of multiple
coordinated units
that serve the UTSC
library & community
Proud hosts of
digitalscholarship@utsc.utoronto.ca
DIGITAL SCHOLARSHIP UNIT
Why Islandora?
Consistent with other
UofT campuses; share
expertise &
infrastructure; campus
website infrastructure
is Drupal; multisite
option is attractive
Next step...
streaming
server!
Migration project:
• Begun January 2014
• 25,000 objects in CONTENTdm - metadata
exported by practicum student Ned Struthers
using CONTENTdm’s metadata mapping and
export tools
• CONTENTdm also makes available API
utilities for directly downloading images from
its system - GetFile call can be easily
authored for multiple objects in any
spreadsheet software
• Decided to let Islandora recreate derivatives
from locally maintained .tiff files, rather than
pulling image files directly from ContentDM
University of
Toronto’s digital
collections platform
7.x-1.3
fedora server
drupal multisite
application server
staging server