CHAPTER 4

ARCHITECTURE AND SYSTEMS

Tryg Ager

INTRODUCTION

This chapter summarizes, compares, and evaluates the digital library architectures, systems and software components the WTEC team learned about in Japan. The baseline for comparison is a reference architecture derived from a set of core capabilities of digital libraries. The team was not charged to investigate digital library implementations in detail, so both architecture and systems will be described from a general or reference model standpoint. The team did find, however, that the concept of digital library is frequently explicit in Japan, both in the plans of technology providers, where numerous point solutions, components, and products were seen, and in operational information management approaches in businesses, universities, and museums. The WTEC teams found many different architectural approaches and system designs. In this chapter, a few examples are discussed in order to develop the general findings. Not all sites the WTEC panel visited are represented, but most of the main themes observed on the trip are covered. The sites that will be covered are the following:

• Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST)
• Nihon Nikkei
• National Museum of Ethnology
• IBM Global Digital Library
• Fujitsu Multimedia Library Vision
• Japan's National Digital Library II Project