Agile DL: Building a DELOS-conformed Digital Library using Agile Software Development ? Javier D. Fernández, Miguel A. Martínez-Prieto, Pablo de la Fuente, Jesús Vegas, and Joaquín Adiego GRINBD, Depto. de Informática, Universidad de Valladolid 47011 Valladolid (Spain)
[email protected], {migumar2, pfuente, jvegas, jadiego}@infor.uva.es
Abstract. This paper describes a concrete partial implementation of the DELOS Reference Model to the particular field of manuscripts and incunabula, and how an agile software methodology, SCRUM, suits the evolutive nature of Digital Libraries, solving misunderstandings and lightening the underlying model.
1
Introduction
Santa Cruz Historical Library (BHSC) is the section of the University of Valladolid which conserves works published before 1835 as significant as the ”Beato de Valcavado”. Instead of being a mere repository of ancient papers, BHSC publicly offers suitable technology to researchers of manuscripts and incunabula. The challenge for the computer support team (GRINBD) has always been to understand the few but important differences between this field of application and the traditional sense of bibliographic data, and to adapt tools and concepts to fit the needs of the researchers. For this reason, the BHSC Digital Library was initially designed ad-hoc; main needs were covered, but the use of our specific formats and services makes scalability and maintenance difficult, impeding fluent communication with other digital libraries. A deep redesign implementing the DELOS Reference Model[2] must cover this lack, as it is intended to be a common framework for the broad coverage of the digital library universe. Nonetheless, the scope of the Model involves one more fitting activity that, in the outlying areas of interest of this universe, complicates a fitting challenge per se. The use of an agile software development method, e.g SCRUM[1], can reduce the effort due to the ability to deliver value early and often, yet easily adapting to change[3].
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SCRUM in Action
The main goal of SCRUM is to deliver as much quality software as possible within a series (3-8), of short time-boxes (fixed time intervals), called Sprints, that typically last about a month. Team Members work independently and cohesively in a creative environment, as the requirements are frozen for Sprint and a daily stand-up meeting of the team solves problems mutually. ?
This work was partially supported by the project TIN2006-15071-C03-02 from MEC (Spain).
Table 1. BHSC DL Sprints. Elaboration phase #Sprint Activities UseCase study 1 Screen design Reference Model study Services selection (Functions) 2 Metadata standardize Reference Model pruning: Fixing main concepts Reference architecture design 3 Concrete architecture study
Deliverable First interface prototype Interface refinement Standard document representation Architecture design
The adaptative feature of SCRUM is made on the basis of active customer involvement. At the end of every Sprint, the intermediate delivery is validated towards him, i.e, new defects and tasks are gathered into the next Sprint work list (Backlog). Manuscripts and incunabula experts, as well as target researchers, are our principal customer, whose earlier evaluation and monitoring will minimize the usual problem of misunderstanding [4]. At the moment, we are carrying out the elaboration phase of BHSC DL in its third Sprint with satisfactory results (Table 1 describes our planification of activities and deliverables for each Sprint of the elaboration phase). Thanks to clear indications of the researchers, the format has been rapidly transformed into MARC211 and Dublin Core2 , reaping the benefits of their active involment at the end of every Sprint. We consider the redesign will comply with the Reference Model with a noticeable fitting reduction, because of the continuous validations and the quality deliverables that the SCRUM method forces us to accomplish. In this sense, Sprints set up a safe environment where developers can be creative but standard-conformed, freeing the design activity from the tight imposition of a Model. In summary, the use of agile methodologies, SCRUM in particular, makes the development of Digital Libraries easier, especially in those fields where experts collaboration is essential to understanding the system completely and to fulfill a Reference Model.
References 1. M. Beedle, M. Devos, Y. Sharon, K. Schwaber, and J. Sutherland. SCRUM: An extension pattern language for hyperproductive software development. http://jeffsutherland.com/scrum/scrum_plop.pdf, 2000. 2. L. Candela, D. Castelli, N. Ferro, Y. Ioannidis, G. Koutrika, C. Meghini, P. Pagano, S. Ross, D. Soergel, M. Agosti, M. Dobreva, V. Katifori, and H. Schuldt. The DELOS Digital Library Reference Model - Version 0.96. http://www.delos.info/ReferenceModel, 2007. 3. A. Loeser. Project Management and Scrum - A Side by Side Comparison. http://research.ittoolbox.com/white-papers/itmgmt/pm/project-management-and-scruma-side-by-side-comparison-2462, 2006. 4. H. Suleman and E.A. Fox. A framework for building open digital libraries. D-Lib Magazine, 7(12), 2001. 1 2
http://www.loc.gov/marc/ http://www.dublincore.org/
