[Dspace-general] Version Control

[David Goodman]

There are three problems, two of which can be solved. If the author posts a single version, and we are concerned only about keeping the copies on different repositories identical, this can be solved by technical means: checksums, watermarking, and so forth. These could be implemented on a periodic basis over the entire corpus, not just when something goes wrong. The second is where the author posts successive versions of the same paper. A rigorous system of ensuring that the latest version is displayed but the earlier kept accessible has already been devised and implemented for arXiv. If the better informed know of defects, I'd like to find out. 

The more difficult problem is where the author himself posts variant version without indication of which represents the final draft; I can even envision a situation where a multi-author team writes a paper, and the  different authors post different final versions, with possibly very substantial changes. 

I know the librarian's solution, which is to treat these as separate papers altogether, connected by a link, which is how we handle multiple editions of a work. The reader then has the responsibility of deciding which version to treat as authentic--the librarian can not help here,  but can just provide the different versions. An authenticating agency is necessary; an example of such an agency is the Patent Office, and its not one I would wish to emulate.  

Dr. David Goodman
Associate Professor
Palmer School of Library and Information Science
Long Island University
dgoodman at liu.edu

(and, formerly: Princeton University Library)


-----Original Message-----
From:	dspace-general-bounces at mit.edu on behalf of MacKenzie Smith
Sent:	Mon 4/5/2004 3:35 PM
To:	dspace-general at mit.edu
Cc:	
Subject:	Re: [Dspace-general] Version Control

This is certainly a potential problem in IRs (as it always was in print for 
unpublished material). Within the context of the DSpace Federation it might 
be possible, over time, to build in duplicate-detection routines that work 
across DSpace instances using agreed upon Web Services or the like. Of 
course, that will only work as well as the metadata available, which might 
vary considerably from one institution to the next. Given the archival 
nature of IRs, can you say a bit more about why you think duplicate copies 
of material would be a big problem? Is it for forward refencing in the case 
where a new version is deposited at one institution but not the others?

MacKenzie

At 11:13 AM 4/2/2004 -0600, Gherman, Paul M wrote:
>Another question. Has anyone thought about how we can maintain version 
>control between IR's, if faculty, as co-authors from different 
>institutions each contribute their papers to their own campus IR. I can 
>see the same paper having multiple permanent URLs. Or even worse that 
>different versions of the same paper are posted to different IRs with 
>different permanent URLs.
>
>Paul
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Gherman, Paul M
>University Librarian
>Vanderbilt University
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MacKenzie Smith
Associate Director for Technology
MIT Libraries
Building 14S-308
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA  02139
(617)253-8184
kenzie at mit.edu 

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