Challenges of Implementing a Tool to Extract Metadata from Linguists: The Use Case of RAMP
Abstract
In January 2011, SIL Internationalʼs archive launched a corporate instance of DSpace as part of a larger and ongoing effort to digitally archive language data and resources. Along with that instance of DSpace, it also launched a software application (RAMP) which allows users to bundle electronic resources with the associated metadata for submission to DSpace (Nordmoe 2011). As the archive has deployed and supported this software it has encountered several ongoing challenges. This paper focuses on three factors which are affecting the success and use of RAMP. Broadly, these include:
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User expectations - the metadata schema remains too complex for some usersʼ preference.
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Organizational implementation - the failure of some parts of the institution to deploy the software.
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User adoption - during the first 18 months approximately 15% of staff have routinely archived data through RAMP.
In todayʼs digital environment, interactions and their resulting success or failure to achieve specific business goals are ever more dependent on the user experience design. User Experience starts before the user has contact with the software but continues through the use cycle of that software to include issues like the infrastructure available for software support and the pleasure derived by the software user during use.
RAMP is designed to facilitate the accession of items and to assist the archivist in identifying the items submitted by linguists. In its current design RAMP is heavily biased in solving the archivistʼs problems related to the organization of archived language materials. For the linguist, this means learning the archivistʼs terminology and learning how to work a tool designed from an archivist perspective. For successful communication between archivists and linguists to occur, these issues must be addressed through user experience design.
Citable as
Hugh J. Paterson III and Jeremy Nordmoe (2013) Challenges of implementing a tool to extract metadata from linguists: the use case of RAMP. Poster presented at 3rd International Conference on Language Documentation and Conservation, at the University of Hawai’i Mānoa, Honolulu, HI. February 28 - March 3rd.
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Comments:
This poster is a result of experience, statistical data, and some of the ideas presented in these posts:
About the RAMP/DSpace fit:
About UX in RAMP:
Hugh Paterson III
Collaborative Scholar
I specialize in bespoke research at the intersection of Linguistics, Law, Languages, and Technology; specifically utility and life-cycle management for information products in these spaces.
Jeremy Nordmoe
Director, SIL Language and Culture Archive
My research interests include field linguistics, grammatical description, and translation.