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| | h2. Section I: Introduction, purpose, and scope |
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| | This document describes the Ockham Reference Model, a proposed digital library framework. |
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| | The purpose of the Ockham Reference Model is to outline principles and practices for implementing componentized digital library collections and services. The Model first assumes the primary activities of librarianship can be distilled into the collection, organization, preservation and dissemination of data, information and knowledge. Second, the Model describes a peer-to-peer registry service combined with a set of Web Services used to facilitate these primary activities in a digital library environment. |
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| | A guiding principle of the Ockham Reference Model is simplicity. It does not elaborate on or suggest additions to existing digital library techniques unnecessarily. Instead, it builds on the core principles of traditional librarianship and combines them with the best practices of the digital library community to create sets of modular digital libraries. The Model's initial components are nothing new. They include typical (digital) library activities such as collecting, classifying, indexing, searching, browsing, reporting, finding similar, saving, re-purposing, etc. What is new is the proposed way these activities are tied together using a distributed directory and existing, standardized techniques for sharing information between components. The Model is an attempt to build on the good work already done everybody involved and innovate using established computing methods. |
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| | | The Ockham Reference Model is a framework with National Science Foundation Digital Library (NSDL) collections and services in primarily in mind, yet it is intended to be applied to other digital library environments as well. It promotes easy integration and interoperability with all digital library implementations including implementations of academic, public, and special libraries. Consequently, a major focus of the Model is also to ensure a low barrier for the adoption of NSDL collections and services by traditional libraries. The Model uses the term 'interoperable' to infer how different digital library components communicate with each other. However, it does not infer that a service must interoperate with all other services; it is assumed that access to a service or collection is defined and controlled by that service or collection. Put another way, the Ockham Reference Model: |
| | | The Ockham Reference Model is a framework with National Science Foundation Digital Library (NSDL) collections and services primarily in mind, yet it is intended to be applied to other digital library environments as well. It promotes easy integration and interoperability with all digital library implementations including implementations of academic, public, and special libraries. Consequently, a major focus of the Model is also to ensure a low barrier for the adoption of NSDL collections and services by traditional libraries. The Model uses the term 'interoperable' to infer how different digital library components communicate with each other. However, it does not infer that a service must interoperate with all other services; it is assumed that access to a service or collection is defined and controlled by that service or collection. Put another way, the Ockham Reference Model: |
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| | * provides a set of principles and identifies relevant information for the understanding and increased awareness of interoperability concepts needed for digital library collections and services |
| | * provides the concepts and information needed by the traditional library community to be adopters and users of National Science Foundation Digital Library collections and services |
| | * provides a reference, including terminology and concepts, for describing and comparing current digital library communication protocols |
| | * provides a foundation of principles and best practices that may be extended by other efforts to cover greater-depth interoperability issues |
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| | The Ockham Reference Model does not: |
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| | * specify which technical standards must be used in an implementation (though suggestions may be made based on current knowledge) |
| | * provide a basis for compatibility of Ockham instances |
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| | In other words, "Ockham-compliant" does not equal "compatible". Multiple groups may produce Ockham system instances in different ways with no coordination, and the end result may be two systems that cannot talk to each other (or services that can only reside on one or the other system). This might be exactly what is desired, however, and we do not wish to rule it out. Thus, the Ockham Reference Model is distinct from Ockham systems. There is only one reference model, but there may be multiple, mutually-exclusive Ockham systems based on it. However, due to being derived from the same reference model, all Ockham-compliant systems should be comprehensible to anyone who understands at least one of them. |
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| | The Ockham Reference Model is one of the outcomes of the Ockham Initiative. It is a collaborative effort by librarians and digital library researchers to promote the simple, modular design of digital library systems, for the purpose of encouraging better interoperability of different digital libraries and digital library components. The Initiative invokes William of Ockham to make a statement about simplicity and the need to look for creative ways to re-use existing standards and systems whenever possible, rather than unnecessarily replicating them. Prioritization of simple approaches over complex, hard-to-understand approaches are selected for practical impact. |
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| | The balance of this document expounds in greater detail on the ideas outlined above by: |
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| | # describing the problems the Ockham Reference Model is trying to solve |
| | # suggesting a digital framework for addressing these problems |
| | # enumerating the characteristics of effective digital library components |
| | # proposing specific standards for implementing some of these components |
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| | Finally, the Ockham Reference Model is a living document. As new problems and possible solutions are articulated the componentized nature of the Model should adapt readily to change. Old components can easily be removed and others just as easily added. The Model is designed to be dynamic, but always with the aim of simplicity in mind. To take great liberties and paraphrase William of Ockham, digital library components should not to be multiplied without necessity and employed with a principle of economy. |
