OpenMIC Press Release

Date: July 8, 2009

The Rutgers University Libraries are pleased to announce the availability of OpenMIC, a METS-based bibliographic utility for describing and managing resources. OpenMIC is the open source release of the Rutgers University Libraries’ RUCore repository bibliographic utility and will be maintained on the RUcore annual release schedule. Releases will include fixes for known problems and recommendations for enhancements received from internal projects and the user community at large. OpenMIC can be used as a stand alone metadata creation tool or with its companion object and workflow handling utility, OpenWMS, which will be released in fall 2009 and can interact with any repository software for a complete digital object management solution.

OpenMIC includes a complete METS metadata implementation with structure map, descriptive metadata, source metadata, technical metadata and rights metadata documents. OpenMIC incorporates MODS, Dublin Core, MIX (NISO technical metadata for images) AES (technical metadata for sound recordings) and PREMIS.

OpenMIC can be fully customized and managed for use at a single or at multiple institutions in a consortial environment. OpenMIC is currently in use for RUcore, the Rutgers Community Repository, the New Jersey Digital Highway, the statewide cultural heritage portal, and NJVid, the statewide digital video portal.

Features of OpenMIC include:
  • An event-based data model that enables libraries and archives to document significant events in the lifecycle of the resource, including full event description, agents and their roles and associated documentation, in any METS metadata category. For example, a library may create a rights event for a non-exclusive license, with the heir of the resource creator documented as donor and a PDF of the signed license linked as a related object. Events have been used to document exhibits and their curators, preservation activities and condition inventories.
  • The ability to create multiple METS documents and to link METS documents together (e.g., the source document for the analog source used to create a digital preservation copy documented in a technical metadata document)
  • An authentication and authorization module that enables administrators to set permissions at the organization, collection or project level.
  • The ability to determine required data elements and establish templates, based on organization, collection or project.
  • The ability to add taxonomies to any vocabulary-based data element
  • Management options based on single or multiple-organization use
  • Rich metadata for describing analog source objects, digital masters and associated rights.
  • An intuitive user interface that can be customized for simple or complex levels of description depending on the needs of the resource or collection or the expertise of the cataloger.
  • Complete documentation, including a metadata data dictionary.
OpenMIC was developed by a team of designers and programmers, led by Dr. Yang Yu, database architect at the Rutgers University Libraries and Kalaivani Ananthan, RUL open source applications manager. Metadata designers are Grace Agnew, Associate University Librarian for Digital Library Systems, Mary Beth Weber, Head of Technical Services, Jane Otto, Multimedia metadata and catalog librarian, Isaiah Beard, Digital Data Curator, and Kalaivani Ananthan. The development and release of OpenMIC is managed by the RUL open source software team, Kalaivani Ananthan and Chad Mills, RUL Programming Coordinator. OpenMIC is released through GNU GPL License 3.0. Basic support for the digital library community includes complete installation and user documentation, as well as communication tools for reporting bug fixes and suggesting enhancements. A higher level of support, including training and customization, is offered to the Rutgers University community, in active support of the many digital projects undertaken by the faculty and staff of the university.

OpenMIC was developed through funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF Award No: 0226140), the Institute of Museum and Library Services through a grant to develop the New Jersey Digital Highway (http://www.njdigitalhighway.org) and financial support from the Library of Congress to develop a bibliographic utility to support the MIC (Moving Image Collections) project. OpenMIC has also benefitted greatly from the expertise of the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA), who have contributed extensively to the technical metadata and events that can support the preservation and management of moving images in an archival setting. The Rutgers University Libraries gratefully acknowledge the support of these organizations.

OpenMIC can be downloaded from the RUcore Open Source Projects page: http://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/open/projects/openmic/
  
Menu
Overview
Help Guides
User Manual
Installation Guide
Metadata Guide
Support
Known Bugs
Report a Bug
Feature Requests
Rutgers Support Request
Contact
Submit a Comment
Attribution/Copyright
Version History
Press Release
Version 7.1
Rutgers University Libraries - Copyright ©2013