DS 2.0 Stakeholder Meeting

DS 2.0 Holds Stakeholder Meeting, Debuting New Data Model and Implementation Plans

On April 30, 2021, the Digital Scriptorium (DS) consortium held a meeting for its members, associates, and other stakeholders to discuss the progress of the DS 2.0 Planning Grant. 57 attendees from over 35 institutions signed up for the virtual event. The meeting included presentations from Lynn Ransom (DS Secretary and DS 2.0 PI) and Emma Thomson (DS 2.0 Project Manager) about the goals of DS 2.0, the new data model and data contribution workflow, and the timeline and plans for full implementation.

DS 2.0 is envisioned as the national union catalog for premodern manuscripts held in US collections. It will be used primarily as an access point to help researchers find current locations for manuscripts. Minimal standards for data entry will reduce administrative overhead and give institutions the flexibility to contribute as much or as little data as they are able. The new data model is designed to create Linked Open Data, focusing on fields that can be authority controlled to produce reliable search results. DS 2.0 will enhance member data by managing name, place, and manuscript ID authorities. The manuscript IDs will be permanent identifiers that can be used to cite DS manuscripts in other digital and print contexts.

The DS 2.0 Planning Grant wraps up on July 31, 2021. Before then, the project team aims to develop a DS 2.0 prototype in a local database powered by Wikibase. Sample records will be trialed to test the DS 2.0 data model, and results will be presented to DS stakeholders in late July or early August. Thanks to several generous DS member institutions, DS has the funds to continue employing a DS 2.0 project manager through July 2022, securing the platform’s development over the next year. DS will begin the process of applying for implementation funding this fall. If funded, full implementation of DS 2.0 will begin in August 2022.

To watch the full stakeholder meeting recording and learn about all of these plans in detail, visit Digital Scriptorium’s YouTube channel, or follow this link. All documentation related to DS 2.0 is available on its project page on this website.

Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting and for your continued support of Digital Scriptorium!