LoCloud
Local content in a Europeana cloud
LoCloud develops cloud-based technology and services to support small and medium local institutions in aggregating their digital resources and make them available through Europeana.
LoCloud is a Best Practice Network coordinated by the Norwegian National Archives and is designed to build on the results of CARARE and Europeana Local by exploring the potential of cloud computing services for small and medium museums wishing to provide content to Europeana. With a focus on geographic locality and local heritage it will provide over 4 million items of new content to Europeana, aggregation services, new tools, support and training to the participating cultural institutions. It started on 1st March 2013 and will run for three years.
Specific objectives of LoCloud are:
- Supporting small and medium-sized institutions in making their content and metadata available to Europeana, by using cloud computing technologies to reduce technical, semantic and skills barriers.
- Aggregating content for the local heritage, with a special focus on geographic location, and making it available to Europeana users.
- Implementing MINT and MORE to provide aggregation services for LoCloud, building on the results of CARARE and other projects to support the continued development of these systems.
- Exploring and trialling the potential to develop cloud based services and applications suitable for small and medium sized institutions to support metadata enrichment, mapping, harvesting and aggregation.
- Making available a light-weight digital library system suitable for small and medium sized cultural institution.
- Developing a ‘default' infrastructure for metadata from smaller institutions, not currently aggregated by other aggregators.
- Providing guidance, training and support facilities to serve the needs of content providers.
The project builds on the achievements of CARARE (2010-2013) in establishing a repository-based aggregator for Archaeological and Architectural heritage; and of Europeana Local (2008-2011) in its work with local institutions and their regional and national aggregators, which resulted in the contribution of nearly 5 million items to Europeana.
The consortium of LoCloud is composed of 32 partners including technical partners, content providers, aggregating services and partners with expertise in specific areas relevant to the project work.