Integration of cultural data from digital repositories: an overview of the DPLA Hubs

Abstract

Introduction: Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is an initiative that aims to expand the reach of its content and the possibilities for improving and using data to generate new knowledge from data integration. The search for integration, however, results in a series of possibilities and challenges to which digital repositories, data providers and servers need to adapt. Objective: Present an overview of the technological solutions underlying the collection and availability of data from DPLA's partner repositories, called Hubs, to point out aspects of the interoperability opportunities and challenges they face in the search for integrated access. Methodology: Qualitative, theoretical, and descriptive-exploratory research, using Content Analysis as a method. Results: Technological solutions adopted by the DPLA to collect and aggregate data are presented as results, as well as the Hubs, data providers, which use different solutions to aggregate data from the various contributing cultural institutions and supply them to the DPLA. Conclusion: It is concluded that despite the technical, semantic, and managerial challenges, there are great efforts to adopt solutions and best practices aimed mainly at engaging data providers. Both the Hubs and their contributing institutions have programs to encourage and aid digitization and documentation, as well as guidelines to guarantee the quality and legal rights of access to the content, which is essential to improve the users' experience and multi-dimension possibilities of transform information into knowledge.