OAI-Based Interoperable System for the Folk Music Digital Library

Abstract

According to research of the International Digital Library Project (IDLP) – CMNet (Chinese Memory Net – US-Sino Collaborative Research Toward A Global Digital Library in Chinese Studies) founded by the America, this paper presents a part of the research result. Database structure and metadata standard of Chinese Folk Music DL (CFMDL) is described in it. We introduce the OAI-based metadata interoperation framework for Chinese folk music DL: OAI-based system framework for CMNet, OAI protocol for metadata harvesting, administration and value-added services of metadata harvesting for CFMDL. Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Shanghai Jiaotong University applied jointly for the major project, “Theories, Methods and Technical Research of the Globalization of the Chinese Culture Digital Library”. Shanghai Jiaotong University mainly undertakes the research of key theories, methods and technologies for the Chinese folk music DL and the major content of the research are digitalization processing methods for the Chinese folk music, metadata standards and criteria, system interoperability, and visiting methods toward distributed, heterogeneous resources, all of which are crucial issues in DL technologies. Chinese folk music database has three tables: musical_composition, musical_instrument and character. The instrument column in table musical_composition links to musical_instrument, while composer, executant and conductor columns in table musical_composition links to table character. Chinese folk music includes various types of musical works in every historical period of Chinese nations. The data collection of Chinese folk music database metadata gives priority to Chinese ancient music, also considers modern music, including musical works (composition), musical characters (e.g., composers, executants), musical instruments, etc. CFMDL system framework is based on OAI protocol. Data providers that own information repository are responsible for creating and publishing metadata, meanwhile organize the numerical objects in the information repository to produce structural metadata and make end-users or service providers can use and browse the information repository. Service providers send requests to data providers that publish the metadata to extract metadata, process and organize them, as well as build value-added services that are based on the metadata collected from data providers. A registration sever provides the registration interfaces for data providers and service providers, and the server also administers and organizes the data providers and service providers. Administration and Value-added Services of Metadata Harvesting for CFMDL system.