META-SHARE User manual for repo setup

What is a META-SHARE repository?

How do I set up a META-SHARE repository?

Various types of META-SHARE nodes

META-SHARE Depositors

META-SHARE Core Services

META-SHARE User Support Services


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What is a META-SHARE repository?

The META-SHARE Repositories are the nodes of the network; they are set up, operated and maintained by those META-SHARE Members who act as META-SHARE Repository Service Providers.

META-SHARE Repositories can have a local or hosting (non-local) role:

Local repositories are set up and maintained by organisations participating in the META-SHARE network, storing their own resources.

Hosting repositories are also set up and maintained by organisations participating in the META-SHARE network acting as storage and documentation facilities for resources either developed in organisations not wishing to set up their own repository, or donated or considered orphan resources, i.e. resources without an owner. A hosting repository may also store its own resources.

Each repository contains:

a local repository containing its own LRs and respective metadata, as well as a local inventory consisting of the metadata for the LR stored at the repository,

a META-SHARE inventory containing the metadata for the LRs stored in all the repositories participating in the network.

Every LR in META-SHARE has to be primarily assigned to one of the network's repositories, with the member maintaining that repository undertaking the curation of the resource.

META-SHARE Members maintaining repositories are responsible for providing to the Managing Nodes all the information necessary for them to fulfill their mission.


How do I set up a META-SHARE repository?


The complete set of instructions on how to set up a META-SHARE repository is freely available at GitHub https://github.com/metashare/META-SHARE.


Various types of META-SHARE nodes

META-SHARE Network Nodes are META-SHARE Network Members who set up and maintain LRs repositories (META-SHARE Repositories), and act as Repository Service Providers. META-SHARE Repositories can be Local or Hosting Repositories (see above).

META-SHARE Managing Nodes are META-SHARE Network Members that provide core services to all META-SHARE Network Members, acting as Core Service and User Support Service providers. META-SHARE Managing Nodes harvest and store metadata records from the META-SHARE Nodes of the entire META-SHARE Network,  share metadata, create, host and maintain a central inventory which includes metadata-based descriptions of all language resources available in the distributed network. Each META-SHARE Managing Node hosts a copy of the central inventory.

META-SHARE Managing Nodes do not have any additional privileges with respect to access to LRs.


META-SHARE Depositors

META-SHARE Depositors are META-SHARE Members who do not wish to set up their own LR repository; they deposit their LRs to META-SHARE Repositories maintained by other META-SHARE Network Nodes, who undertake to host and/or be responsible for those LRs (hosting repositories).

Organisations or individuals wishing to make their metadata catalogue available to the META-SHARE network but cannot or do not wish to follow the META-SHARE specifications with respect to the LRs, use the META-SHARE Core Services or follow the META-SHARE guidelines regarding sharing and distribution of LRs and metadata can participate to the network as Associate Members. Associate META-SHARE members are able to use some of the Core Services, such as viewing, and make their metadata available for harvesting.


META-SHARE Core Services

Core Services offered to META-SHARE Members are:

Metadata and other data harvesting and synchronisation

User and repository registration, authentication and authorisation

Search, browsing and viewing

Uploading and downloading of language resources

Documentation of language resources

Reporting on the use of language resources

(Electronic) licensing.


META-SHARE User Support Services

User Support Services offered to META-SHARE Members are:

META-SHARE User Forum, enabling META-SHARE Members to ask questions, get and view answers to questions

META-SHARE Knowledge Base, providing information about the use of META-SHARE and its components and services in a structured way

Legal help-desk, enabling META-SHARE Members to ask questions concerning the use of licences, rights of use, IPR issues, etc. - helpdesk-legal@meta-share.eu

Technical help-desk, enabling META-SHARE Members to ask questions concerning the META-SHARE software platform installation and use - helpdesk-technical@meta-share.eu

Metadata help-desk, enabling META-SHARE Members to ask questions concerning the META-SHARE metadata-based LR documentation - helpdesk-metadata@meta-share.eu


More details can be found here.

Relevant FAQs