Frequently Asked Questions

Review our FAQ for answers to frequently asked questions about participation in the Digital Library of Tennessee (DLTN) and Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). If you have additional questions or feedback, please email committee chairperson Meredith Hale. To receive updates and communicate with the DLTN committee and partners, join our Google Group.

General

  • What is the DLTN?
    The Digital Library of Tennessee is a DPLA Service Hub governed by Tenn-Share with support from the University of Tennessee and Tennessee State Library and Archives.
  • How do I find DLTN materials?
    Visit tn.dp.la to view thousands of digital cultural heritage material contributed by libraries, archives, and museums in the state of Tennessee.
  • Why should I partner with the DLTN?
    DPLA hubs and their partners’ collections enjoy increased levels of discovery and use. Since joining DPLA, the Minnesota Digital Library has seen a 55% increase in visits and 62% increase in unique visitors.
  • Will you scan and host our digital materials?
    At this time, the DLTN does not digitize or host digital objects for partner repositories, rather, the DLTN works with partner repositories to harvest metadata and thumbnails through the Open Archives Initiative-Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH).
  • How should I prepare metadata for DPLA?
    The DLTN committee provides guidelines for authoring descriptive metadata in our Metadata Application Profile. Adherence to the profile is not mandatory, however, it will result in optimum harvesting, aggregation, and indexing by the DLTN and DPLA.
  • May I include metadata-only records in DPLA?
    No. DPLA requires that all content eventually resolves to an openly accessible digital object.
  • Are restricted digital objects permissible in DPLA?
    No. DPLA requires that all content eventually resolves to an openly accessible digital object.
  • What content is permissible in the DPLA?
    The DPLA harvests digital cultural heritage materials including personal papers, manuscripts, photographs, books, etc. Finding aids, newspapers, and scholarly communications content are not permissible.
  • How can I become a partner?
    Complete our New Partner Repository Ingest Form.
  • Will the DLTN regularly re-harvest my repository?
    No. If you have made changes to your metadata schema, added significant content to your repository, or migrated your repository to a new system, please complete our Existing Partner Repository Update Form.
  • How can I receive updates about the DLTN?
    Join our Google Group!

CONTENTdm

  • How do I find my repository’s OAI-PMH base URL?
    1. Log in to your CONTENTdm Administration site and click on the server tab.
    2. Click on the Harvesting link.
    3. The Base URL for OAI repository is listed in the OAI section.
  • How do I make collections available for OAI-PMH harvest?
    1. Log in to your CONTENTdm Administration site and click on the server tab.
    2. Click on the Harvesting link.
    3. Click the edit link located to the right of the OAI section header.
    4. Click the edit link located to the right of the list of Collections available for harvest..
    5. Add or Remove collections for harvest.
    6. Save your changes.
  • How do I suppress harvest of page-level or child-level metadata records in CONTENTdm?
    1. Log in to your CONTENTdm Administration site and click on the server tab.
    2. Click on the Harvesting link.
    3. Click the edit link located to the right of the OAI section header.
    4. In the dropdown menu for Enable compound object pages, select No.
    5. Save your changes.
  • How do I create a set description in CONTENTdm?
    1. Log in to your CONTENTdm Administration site and click on the collection tab.
    2. Select the desired collection to edit and click the Change button.
    3. Click the Profile link.
    4. Click the edit link located to the right of the Profile & permissions section header.
    5. Add a description of your set in the Collection information section and save your changes.
  • How do I list sets from the OAI-PMH feed from my CONTENTdm repository?
    To list sets, enter your Base URL for OAI followed by ?verb=ListSets in the address bar of your web browser, e.g. http://cdm16877.contentdm.oclc.org/oai/oai.php?verb=ListSets.
  • How do I list records from a single set from the OAI-PMH feed from my CONTENTdm repository?
    To list the records from a single set, enter your Base URL for OAI followed by ?verb=ListRecords&metadataPrefix=oai_qdc&set= and the setSpec/collection alias in the address bar of your web browser, e.g. http://cdm16877.contentdm.oclc.org/oai/oai.php?verb=ListRecords&metadataPrefix=oai_qdc&set=p16877coll1.
  • How do I edit where my fields map in CONTENTdm?
    See the CONTENTdm Help page on this subject. DLTN committee members are able to provide guidance, but it is the responsibility of the partner to standardize their mapping before harvest occurs.

Digital Commons