Buckets: A new digital library technology for preserving NASA research

Abstract

A fundamental task of research organizations is the preservation and dissemination of their intellectual output. Historically, this has been accomplished with hard copy formats through a multitiered approach of using the open literature, self-publishing, and an array of cooperative libraries and depositories. It can be argued that the historical approach is less than optimal with respect to results achieved and resources expended. However, there have been recent advances in the area of digital libraries (DLs) that address some of the shortcomings of traditional hard copy preservation and dissemination. One of these technologies is “buckets,” an aggregative, intelligent construct for publishing. Buckets exist within the “Smart Object, Dumb Archive” (SODA) DL model, which can be summarized as promoting the importance and responsibility of individual information objects and reducing the role of traditional archives and database systems. The goal is that smart objects will be independent of and more resilient to the transient nature of information systems. This paper examines the motivation for buckets and SODA, as well as discussing some initial experiences in using these DL technologies in some US government research laboratories in NASA, the Air Force, and the Department of Energy.