A tale of two Islandoras

Abstract

The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) and the University of Waterloo (UW) represent two distinct experiences on the road to implementing Islandora – one pioneered its development and the other is launching the digital asset management framework for the first time.

The Islandora project is a tool of transformation. At UPEI, it has facilitated learning, enabled and expanded partnerships, funding opportunities, research collaborations, and community engagement, while producing a legacy of platform versions, customized websites, and infrastructure that is unsustainable given existing resources. At UW, it represents a new effort to plan, implement, and scale a presentation and preservation service that leverages the experiences and best practices established by the Islandora community.

This presentation will examine the opportunities and challenges that arise when working with Islandora. Focus will be placed on lessons learned, project sustainability and establishing a way forward by contrasting the experiences of first-time and advanced implementers.