Alastair Dunning introduces the Europeana Cloud project which will change the way that data is sent to Europeana, and will give researchers new tools to enrich and use that data.

1. Alastair Dunning, Project Coordinator
The European Library
The Hague, Aggregation Forum, May 2014

2. 3-year project…………………………………………………….............
Coordinated by The European Library
and running until January 2016.
Funded by the EU
………………………………………………………..….............
Total project cost of 4.75 million euros (80% from the
EU under the ICT-PSP programme).
Part of the Multi-Sided Platform
……………………………………………………................................
Vision is to embed Europeana Cloud as
core part of the ‘multi-sided platform’.

3. The Netherlands: Europeana, The European
Library, CERL, LIBER, OAPEN, KNAW, Kennisland,
Free University of Amsterdam, Tilburg University
Belgium: Ariadne Foundation,
Catholic University of Leuven, Free
University of Brussels
Sweden:
Gothenburg
University
Poland: Polish
Digital Libraries
Foundation
Germany: Bavarian State Library,
Central and East European Online
Library, Open Knowledge
Foundation Deutschland, University
of Bielefeld, DARIAH
Italy: National Research Council,
Cinecitta’ Luce Spa
Greece: University of Patras,
Athena Research and
Innovation Centre
Spain: Dialnet
Foundation
United Kingdom: MDR
Partners, National Library of
Wales, The Open University,
University College London,
University of Edinburgh
Ireland:
Trinity
College
Dublin
Czech Republic: National
Technical Library
Finland: Finnish
National Archives
Denmark: Royal Library and
National Library of
Copenhagen University
Croatia: Croatian
Academy for Science &
Arts
Hungary:
University of
Debrecen
Romania:
University of
Sibiu
35 Partners

4. Together, we’re on a mission.
We want to help the Europeana
ecosystem by:
Giving aggregators and data
providers a cheaper, more
sustainable infrastructure for
storing / managing metadata and
content
Allowing for more ways for that
metadata and content to be
exploited
I.e., helping build the platform on
which more tools can be built
National Library of France, Public Domain

5. Helping aggregators and data providers.
eCloud aims to provide
Ability to manage and share data
with Europeana and other aggregators
more easily
Ability for third parties to enrich
your metadata (eg. find place names,
convert formats)
Allows third parties to access and
edit metadata (within limited defined
by data owners)
Change tracking, versioning support
and unique identifiers
Experiments with issues related to
storage and dissemination of content
National Library of Wales, CC BY-NC-SA

6. Building a new aggregation system.
Metadata currently travels in one direction, towards Europeana.
Audiovisual collections
National
Aggregators
Regional
Aggregators
Archives
Thematic collections
Libraries
e.g. Musées
Lausannois
e.g.
Culture
Grid,
Culture.fr
e.g. The
European
Library
e.g. APEX
e.g. EUScreen,
European Film
Gateway
e.g. Judaica Europeana,
Europeana Fashion

7. Our alternative is a shared, cloud-based
infrastructure.
 This would allow members of
Europeana Cloud to:
1.Upload metadata
2.Define who can use that
metadata and in what ways
(download, annotate, delete)
3.Give third parties access via
APIs

8. Europeana Cloud can support Europeana Portal, Labs …

9. … and also other tools and services that make use of data in this
Cloud infrastructure

10. eCloud is not the Europeana Portal
The Cloud Infrastructure
•Is not obligatory
•Data can be more than CC0
•Data does not need to be EDM
•Data need not be only metadata
•Much more granularity in how users can
exploit API of Europeana Cloud (ie read /
write access)
•Permission to read / write can be dictated
by data provider / aggregator
•Not all data in Europeana Cloud must be
exposed via Europeana Portal
Copyright, Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art
Gallery, Exeter City Council

11. Developing Europeana Research
 APIs will allow third parties to build
on top of data in eCloud
1. Europeana Research - set of third-
party tools exploiting data in eCloud
2. Focus on research communities in
arts, humanities and social sciences
3. Partners in- and outside the project
will contribute metadata (and
content as well) to be part of eCloud
and the tools
National Library of France, Public Domain

12. eCloud will have an operating framework.
 We’re working on a number of
structural and legal issues. For
example:
1. A business model to ensure economic
viability.
2. A Cloud Access Framework
determining what data can be in
Europeana Cloud
3. Working out the rules (‘Operating
Guidelines’) for membership of
eCloud
4. A roadmap (integrated with
Europeana’s strategic plan) that
outlines how to attract partners National Library of France, Public Domain

13. The European Library
Initially, three aggregators will test this new
infrastructure.
………………………………………………………………..........................
Contributing 120m bibliographic records and 20m
metadata items. www.theeuropeanlibrary.org
Polish Digital Libraries Federation
…………………………………………………………….............
........Contributing 1.5m metadata items.
www.fbc.pionier.net.pl
Europeana
………………………………………………………………..................................
.Contributing 30m metadata items. www.europeana.eu

14. But expanding at the end of the project
Swiss National Library,
Europeana Rights Reserved - Free Access
Europeana wishes to
attract others as members
of Europeana Cloud
(especially aggregators)
Also need to consider
relationship to LoCloud
project

15. Timeline
20132013 20142014 20152015
Operating Principles
determined (M18).
Prototype of
metadata cloud
created (M12).
Prototype of
content cloud
created (M18).
Governance
structure
complete (M28).
Technical
Infrastructure
Complete (M30).
Europeana
Research
unveiled
(M36).
20162016
Minimum
requirements
outlined (M10).
eCloud
deployed as
sustainable service
(M36).

16. Thanks for
listening!
Learn more
about our project:
@europeana_cloud #cloud_EU
www.pro.europeana.eu/web/europeana.cloud
Digitalt Museum, CC BY-NC-ND

17. Alastair Dunning, Project Coordinator
The European Library
Europeana Cloud Aggregators Forum
The Hague, May 2014

18. Today’s meeting begins to shape the requirements of
aggregators for using Europeana Cloud. The workshop
will
1. Briefly looks at some of the advantages of
Europeana Cloud
2. Seeks feedback from aggregators and their reaction
to the project
3. Outputs feed directly to a deliverable for the project
4. Part of a longer discussion to ensure Europeana
Cloud is usable for aggregators

19. Advantages of Europeana Cloud: Case Study from
The European Library (TEL)
1 - eCloud allows provides
better data management
of formats
• One record can be
represented in
many formats (eg
MARC, Dublin
Core, EDM
• Greater flexibility
in handling
different formats
Wellcome Trust, CC-BY

20. Advantages of Europeana Cloud: Case Study from
The European Library
2 - eCloud allows provides
better data management
of versions
• One record can be
represented have
multiple versions
as well as formats
• Allows updates
from TEL library
members to be
incorporated
Wellcome Trust, CC-BY

21. Advantages of Europeana Cloud: Case Study from
The European Library
3 – Sharing with Europeana is
easier
• Notification
automatically sent to
Europeana when there is
a new EDM
representation
• As Europeana is part of
eCloud they will have
access to all our EDM
records
• Much quicker to share
data
National Library of Netherland, rights unclear

22. Advantages of Europeana Cloud: Case Study from
The European Library
4 – Europeana (and others) can make
use of our data
• Europeana can take not just
EDM but any other data we
specify and then push it
through their channels –
better dissemination (e.g
Europeana Research, Thematic
Channels)
• And not just Europeana … any
one with access to eCloud APIs
• Opportunity to work more
closely with other aggregators
Wellcome Trust, CC-BY

23. Advantages of Europeana Cloud: Case Study from
The European Library
5 – Direct API access
• TEL currently only
offers API access to
our opensearch index
• We can allow
authenticated access
to our direct data via
eCloud  easier for
third party re-use
OAPEN Foundation, CC BY-NC-ND (3.0)

24. Advantages of Europeana Cloud: Case Study from
The European Library
6 – Scaleable for different
data types
• eCloud allows us to
store full text as well
• Our current solution
(SOLR built on single
machine) is not
scaleable
• eCloud architecture is
modular – can store
more text
Lincolnshire Museums, rights unknown

25. Advantages of Europeana Cloud: Case Study from
The European Library
7 – Automated back-up
• Modular architecture
means all data in
eCloud is replicated
• If one data centre is
unavailable, data is
available else where
• 100% access to data …
National Librrary of Ireland, Reproduction rights
owned by National Library of Ireland (!!!)

26. Advantages of Europeana Cloud: Case Study from
The European Library
Use Cases – Crowdsouring tool
• eCloud allows different
versions of records
• Could store
crowdsourced
transcriptions of
newspapers
• Would still need tool on
top of eCLoud to
provider user interface

27. Advantages of Europeana Cloud: Case Study from
The European Library
Use Cases – Thematic Collections
• Cendari project collection
rich descriptions on WW1
and Medieval Manuscripts
• Want data from TEL (and
other aggregators, esp
APEX)
• An aggregation of richer,
non-EDM data could be
created via eCloud and
shared with Cendari

28. Advantages of Europeana Cloud: Case Study from
The European Library
Use Cases – Thematic Collections (2)
• Project with League of European Research
Universities
• Stage 1 - Create sub-set of metadata related
to academic journals in law and build related
sub-portal
• Stage 2 – Harvest full-text and store as related
representation in eCloud. Add to sub-portal
• Stage 3 – Use third party tools to extract
persons, places, subjects, and store in eCLoud.
Add to sub-portal

29. Edward de Bono Thinking Hats
This workshop structured according to
thinking in different ways
We will think abuot the project in the
following ways
White Hat – Facts only
Yellow Hat – Only positives
Black Hat – Only negatives
Blue Hat - Summarising
Wellcome Trust, CC-BY

30. White Hat
What further factual information do
you want to know ?
Put questions on post-it notes and
then stick them on the wall or board
(We might not have answers to all of
them) !
We will then try to answer them
(20 mins max)

31. Yellow Hat
What are the potential benefits of the
Cloud Infrastructure ?
How might the eCloud help with some
of your issues / problems as an
aggregator ? How might it improve
what you do.
Put ideas on post-it notes and then
stick them on the wall or board
We will then discuss
(20 mins max)
Jewish Museum London,
Rights: Digital image: Jewish Museum London

32. Black Hat
What are the potential problems;
things you don’t like . What might go
wrong and cause difficulty and danger.
Put ideas on post-it notes and then
stick them on the wall or board
“Probably the most powerful and
useful of the Hats but a problem if
overused.”
We will discuss them
(20 mins max)
University of Oxford, Europeana Rights Reserved - Free Access

33. Blue Hat
Summarising
If you have to report back to your boss
or line manager abuot Europeana
Cloud, which three words would you
use ?
Put them on a post-it note and then
we can go and have lunch !
(10 mins max)
Walsall Museums, Rights unstated