Image Service Demonstrator Project
Staff Briefing

In response to recommendations from both visual resources and art & architecture bibliographer groups and in consultation with the Joint Steering Committee on Shared Collections, the CDL has concentrated during the past year on acquiring or licensing visual images. Adding to the CDL's growing body of accessible visual images, CDL has licensed, through co-investments from all the general campus libraries and for all campuses, the Art Museum Image Consortium (AMICO) Library and the Saskia Art and Architecture collegion. Museums and the Online Archive of California (MOAC) collections are also included and available to the public.

This briefing highlights some of the ways that image databases and the software (Luna Insight) for searching, manipulating and presenting them differ from bibliographic databases. This conceptual overview should be supplemented with the vendor's online help and other user guides created by the campus libraries (see Instructional Materials).

The following sections are included:

• Collections
• Web vs. Java Client
• Permissions and Access Rights
• Off Campus Access
• Cross Collection Searching
• Groups and Presentations
• Exporting and Printing
• Help and Feedback
• Licensing Model

Collections

At present, there are two commercial collections (AMICO; Saskia), two UC owned or sponsored collections (MOAC; Tebtunis Papyri, Bancroft Library) and a number of free collections. The collections focus primarily on images for art and architecture but also represent a range of items in photography, anthropology and other cultural studies (summary of the collections).

CDL is also working with the UC visual resource curators to add images from their collections to the Saskia collection to form the Library of UC Images (LUCI). In the future, Luna will provide the capability to add "personal collections", e.g., faculty collections and CDL will evaluate this option with campus partners. For questions or proposals to add other UC-owned collections, contact Robin Chandler, Digital Content Coordinator, CDL; for licensed collections, contact the appropriate selector or your collection development officer.

Web vs. Java Client

In addition to a web version of the Insight software, there is a java desktop client that provides more functionality. The java version is "self updating", similar to Adobe Acrobat; the user is notified when a new version is available so there is no need to distribute the software once the user downloads it.

CDL has created web pages which can be bookmarked for each collection: AMICO; MOAC; Saskia. The pages also include a link to download the java client, as well as links to the special URL for guest users and faculty/staff who want higher privileges (see Permissions and Access Rights below).

Consult this chart for a comparison of features [RTF]

Note that the web version opens two browser windows: one with the selected collection (e.g., AMICO) and another window behind it with a menu to select other collections. This option provides an easy way to toggle between collections even though it is not possible to search multiple collections at the same time.

Which version to use?

• Web version: new or occasional users; students; users outside of art history and architecture who want images but are not seeking a particular artist or known item; off campus access.
• Java version: frequent users; to use more sophisticated manipulation tools; to create presentations; to search across collections.
• Public workstations: Most public workstations probably do not need to have the java client installed, although those in locations serving primarily art and architecture might want to install the client. The decision is up to each campus library or other unit.

Permissions and Access Rights

Luna Insight provides the ability to control access rights for viewing and exporting images. CDL has adopted the following principles:

• Allow all users to view images at the highest resolution, but to restrict export according to the user's status.
• Provide a more protected folder for storing groups and presentations created by faculty, staff, or other users who have a legitimate need.
• Provide Guest access for public users to collections when possible.
• Provide a Guest folder for testing or other miscellaneous use which will be cleaned our periodically.

Consult this chart for specific information on access rights. [RTF]

Off Campus Access

• All collections are accessible to UC users via proxy servers or VPN.
• The public collections are accessible to all users from any location.
• The java version is not accessible off campus at present. CDL is working with Luna to resolve issues with proxy servers.

Cross Collection Searching

Users can select one or more collections to search from the Java client, either when first connecting or by selecting File/Open collection.

• The main search options include the fields common to all collections.
• If you select "by data field", you will first see the metadata standard that is common to all collections, e.g., Dublin Core.
• If you hold the mouse over a field, you can see how many collections use this field, e.g., 3 of 4 collections. Below this list are any unique fields from the collections, e.g., MOAC has "Collection title" and "METS ID".
• For maximum retrieval on these fields, use those in the common list and check to see how many collections support it.
• Keyword searching is the broadest option for cross collection searching.
• When you view the data for an image retrieved in a cross collection search, you will always see fields from the native metadata scheme.

CDL has worked with the visual resource curators and MOAC representatives to standardize the fields as much as possible, but will continue to explore ways to make cross collection searching more useful.

Groups and Presentations

The option to create a Group is similar to the Save or List feature in bibliographic databases.

• Groups can be saved to the user's desktop, or on the server (which is currently hosted at Luna) by saving to a folder.
• All users can save to the Guest folder.
• All UC users can save to the Student folder.
• Only those with a password (see Permissions) can save to the Faculty folder.
• At this time, only CDL can save to the Collection folder. It is possible to distribute administrator rights to individual libraries if this is desirable in the future. CDL will explore whether and how the Guest and Student folders should be cleaned up periodically.

Once a group exists, it can be turned into a Presentation by using the Create Presentation option.

• This option provides tools to sequence and link images together, and to highlight portions of images if desired. Presentations can also be saved in the same way as groups.
• They can then be "played back" with the tool that appears once a presentation is opened.
• This tool can be minimized so that it doesn't interfere with the images.

Exporting and Printing

• Both web and java versions support printing thumbnails, images, and image data with the Print option.
• Java client only:
  • Print more than one image.
  • Export images to HTML with several formatting options.
  • Once a group has been created, it is possible to export it to the user's desktop at different resolutions, depending on permissions.
  • If the group is made into a presentation, it is possible to export it to HTML or to PowerPoint.

Help and Feedback

Online help is available from both web and java versions.

• In the java version, the Help button links to a feedback form which goes to CDL, as well as to Luna's online help.
• The feedback link is available only for UC collections (MOAC, Saskia, Tebtunis) but can be used to report problems or questions related to any of the collections. CDL reviews the feedback, and answers it or forwards to Luna for resolution.
• You can also ask questions or report problems directly to the CDL. See Report a Problem on the CDL web site.

Licensing Model

Licensed collections will be evaluated and purchased using the same process for other collections (see Collection Development Process). CDL is evaluating the software which has various components (image server, collection manager, user manager, data editor). These components present options for shared or distributed administration and licensing. The report assessing the demonstrator project will address scenarios for making these components available and options for campuses wishing to participate.