The Great Data Continuum

Just as traditional libraries have had to grow from building their digital catalogues in the 60s and 70s to embracing the web and integrating with other online catalogues, digital libraries are having to move away from being individual information silos to playing the role of data brokers, serving a wider community. In order to serve our users better and to keep up with the federated growth of digital data, we have to integrate our bibliographic data with data from multiple sources within and outside of the university, from individual departments with smaller collections to publishers and funding agencies.

The uptake of any new technology is measured by its ability to satisfy the users' needs, its ease of use, and the value-added services that can be derived from it. To promote usage and understanding of the data being served for consumption, it is necessary to construct a holistic view of the data. There are different facets of information regarding research and research outputs that includes research projects, funding agencies, organisations, policies, and the outcomes generated by the collaboration between the stakeholders involved.

Concentrating on the research community for now, we can broadly classify the data we need to hold and are interested in, into two main areas – publications data and research data. The Bodleian Digital Library has been collecting electronic publications and data about publications for about a decade but have just started the journey into collecting research data and metadata. This paper outlines the flow of information between various systems developed by the Bodleian Libraries in collaboration with other systems owners inside and outside the University. In particular, we will discuss the advantages and challenges of harnessing information from multiple sources and acting as data brokers.