Streaming the Archives: Repurposing Systems to Advance a Small Media Digitization and Dissemination Program

Abstract

In 2013–2014, Brooks Library at Central Washington University (CWU) launched library content in three systems: a digital asset-management system, an institutional repository (IR), and a web-based discovery layer. In early 2014, the archives at the library began to use these systems to disseminate media recently digitized from legacy formats. As the project progressed, the archives noted that these systems—while providing valuable storage and discovery capabilities—posed challenges when it came to metadata, interoperability, cost, preservation, and ease of access. This article details the experience of the archives in its first year using these systems.