FAQs

This section contains answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding Intrallect and intraLibrary. If you have any additional questions which are not covered here then please do not hesitate to contact us

About intraLibrary
Searching in intraLibrary
Browsing in intraLibrary
Uploading and Metadata in intraLibrary
Content Packaging in intraLibrary
Administration in intraLibrary
About Open Standards
About Open Source
About Intrallect

About intraLibrary

Which browsers can I use to access intraLibrary?

We recommend Firefox 3, or Internet Explorer 7.

IntraLibrary will also work with other browsers, although there may be minor issues. Please contact us at support@intrallect.com if you come across any problems.

How is intraLibrary being used by other organisations?

Intrallect intraLibrary is being used by a whole range of organisations for a variety of different types of materials.

For example:

The SIESWE Learning Exchange is a national repository of interactive learning materials for education and training in social work.

Jorum is a national repository of re-usable learning resources created for and used in higher and further education in the UK, stored and exchanged as IMS Content Packages.

Eumetcal is building a collection of resources used in training professional meteorologists across Europe.

IVIMEDS and IVINURS are international membership organisations which collect and share learning materials for training, respectively, medical and healthcare practitioners, and nurses.

How is intraLibrary licensed?

IntraLibrary is available under two license models. The "contributor" model is designed for small projects or cross-organisation collaborations. The software is licensed for any number of users, but the number of users who may contribute resources or metadata to the repository, known as "contributors", is constrained. This is a very cost-effective model for organisations who have only a small number or people who will be putting materials into the repository.

The institutional model is designed for adoption of intraLibrary by a whole institution or organisation. In this model the number of contributors is not constrained, and the price is based on the number of staff in the organisation. This is a very cost-effective model for organisations who want a large proportion of their staff to be able to contribute materials to the repository.

Intrallect is responsive to customers needs in terms of licensing. It can offer variations on the above two models, and is open to negotiating specific terms for organisations whose structures do not fit either of the above models. Intrallect also sub-licenses intraLibrary to resellers and OEM's targetting specific markets.

How much does intraLibrary cost?

We have heard some people are saying intraLibrary is very expensive compared to other solutions in this area. They may have got this idea from some of our better-publicised large contracts. In fact, Intrallect's license models for intraLibrary (see FAQ "How is intraLibrary licensed?") are designed to make intraLibrary easily affordable for organisations large or small. For commercial reasons we do not make our price lists public, but please contact us with your requirements, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Can I use intraLibrary as an imagebank?

Yes, intraLibrary has a number of image support features. See below!

Can I view thumbnails of images in intraLibrary?

Yes, any user can choose to see thumbnails of JPEG images in their search results. They can also select a lightbox view of thumbnails for all JPEG images from their search results. When they click on images in this view, they see a larger version of the image.

What about image metadata?

IntraLibrary supports a subset of NISO z39.87 technical image metadata. This metadata can be automatically extracted from JPEG images to fill in the correct metadata fields, using a metadata template.

Because of the sophisticated way in which intraLibrary stores and handles metadata, digital objects such as video, images and audio can be stored and easily discovered.

Can users comment on resources?

Yes, you can set up intraLibrary so that a comments feature is available to users. The user’s name and the time and date of the comment are recorded, and other users can read comments when looking at resources in the repository.

Can I be notified when someone comments on my resource?

Yes - you can arrange to have an e-mail alert whenever a comment is made.

Does intraLibrary offer a star rating system like Amazon or MERLOT?

Yes, users can give a resource one to five stars. When looking at search results, intraLibrary displays the average number of stars for the resource. You can also go in and look at all of the individual ratings and comments.

Can I search for popular resources?

Yes, you can use advanced search to do this. For instance, you can do an advanced search for all resources that have four or five star ratings.

Can I be notified automatically of new resources in my area of interest?

Yes, you can do this by making any of your searches in intraLibrary into RSS feeds. For instance, if you want to be notified of new resources in your subject area, or by a particular author, you can carry out a search, then create an RSS feed that means that new resources that meet your search will be fed into your RSS Reader. You won’t have to go back into intraLibrary and check for new resources.

How can I check what my existing news feeds are?

IntraLibrary keeps a record of all of your news feeds in your personal profile area. You can look at them there, delete them, or run them on the spot to check what’s new in the area while you are in intraLibrary.

Searching in intraLibrary

What search facilities does intraLibrary have?

You can enter a word or phrase into intraLibrary’s simple search box to find resources. You can also carry out more advanced or specific searches by using “AND”, “OR”, or wildcard searches in the simple search box. IntraLibrary offers a sophisticated Advanced Search feature as well, allowing expert users to search by any number of specific metadata fields and collections. All searches at present only search the resource’s metadata, not the text of the resource.

How do I access resources in intraLibrary?

Once you have found a resource you want to use, you can either download it or you can create a Public URL link for it and put the link where others can click on it to access the resource. A Public URL means that you can give access to a resource held in the repository to someone who doesn’t have a user account.

Browsing in intraLibrary

What browse facilities does intraLibrary have?

An alternative to search is intraLibrary’s browse tree. You can set up any number of taxonomies or classification systems of your own choosing in this browse tree. Users can then browse through the tree as they would along the shelves of a library.

Uploading and Metadata in intraLibrary

Can I store resources within intraLibrary?

Yes. You can upload individual files and standard content packages (IMS and SCORM) to intraLibrary via our simple Web-based upload page. You can also link to external resources from within intraLibrary, and create metadata for these links.

What metadata standards does intraLibrary support?

IntraLibrary supports IEEE LOM and IMS Learning Resource Meta-data. It also offers support of Dublin Core metadata, by allowing you to export metadata in Dublin Core XML format, and exposing metadata as Dublin Core for OAI-PMH harvesting and SRU/SRW searching.

IntraLibrary’s architecture also means that we can develop bespoke support for other metadata standards if needed. We currently support subsets of NISO z39.87 technical image metadata, and ODRL rights expression metadata. Various customers have also requested local extensions to their metadata schemas, which we have been happy to provide.

How can users create and edit metadata in intraLibrary?

IntraLibrary has a Web-based metadata and classification editor tool. You can also import resources with metadata already in an IMS or SCORM package manifest, and the metadata is read and can be edited within intraLibrary.

Can I make metadata creation easier for users by automatically filling in fields?

Yes, you can use metadata templates in intraLibrary, which fill in fields for users, including automatically determining such things as the size or technical format of a resource, or filling in the contributor’s name from their user record, or automatically generating an identifier. You can also set up any text field in the metadata to be filled in by any text you choose.

Can users save time by copying metadata from similar resources?

Yes, there are two ways to copy metadata in the metadata editor: by importing a previously downloaded metadata record from your local file system, and by copying metadata from one resource within the system and pasting it into the record.

How does intraLibrary support metadata application profiles?

IntraLibrary has a very user friendly Web interface for creating and editing application profiles for the metadata standards you use. We can provide you with UK LOM Core and CanCore application profiles out of the box, and you can configure your own, setting visibility, editability, cardinality and so forth for different fields. You can make some fields mandatory, or optional, or set them as “not used”. You can apply standard or locally developed vocabularies to fields. You can use more than one application profile, which means you can set up specific profiles for particular collections or groups of users.

How can I manage metadata vocabularies in intraLibrary?

IntraLibrary provides you with the standard LOM/IMS vocabularies out of the box. You can also create your own local vocabularies and apply them to metadata fields using the application profile editor. Alternatively, you can import vocabularies in IMS VDEX format. IntraLibrary also allows you to create your own labels for standard metadata vocabularies so end-users can understand them; you can work with different languages, or give your own terms to LOM numerical values, for instance.

Can I configure which metadata fields are searched by intraLibrary?

Yes, an administrator user can configure which metadata fields simple search looks at, and which metadata fields are available for advanced searches.

Content Packaging in intraLibrary

Can I import and export IMS and SCORM Content Packages?

Yes. You can also import individual files and then export them as IMS content packages with any metadata you have subsequently created included. (You can still choose to export them as simple files too).

Can I view IMS and SCORM Content Packages?

Yes. You can view the packages and see both their manifest and a list of their resources. You can use any of the internal navigation within a package while viewing it. You can also create a Public URL link to any individual asset within a content package.

Can I edit IMS and SCORM Content Packages using intraLibrary?

No, intraLibrary is a repository, not a content packaging tool. Our commitment to open standards, however, means that you can use intraLibrary with other content packaging tools and delivery systems. We regularly take part in plug fests and code bashes to ensure we maintain interoperability with other standards-compliant systems.

You can edit the metadata in a package, however, and you can export a package with the newly edited metadata, or with the original metadata.

What does your system have over LOR or LCMS X?

IntraLibrary is specifically and solely a repository solution. It does not force you into any particular solution for authoring or delivery of resources. However, because intraLibrary has very strong support for international standards of interoperability, it is easy to apply standards-compliant authoring or delivery solutions in parallel with intraLibrary.

IntraLibrary is natively designed to have full and complete support for very complex packages of interactive learning materials, such as IMS or SCORM packages, and complex, hierarchical metadata for describing such materials, such as IEEE LOM. The architecture of intraLibrary is designed for full disaggregation of content packages, enabling simple re-use of individual components. It does not rely on any external solutions for any of this.

IntraLibrary's web interface has won much praise for being very easy to understand and use. It does not intimidate the user with too much information or complexity, and is designed for ordinary lecturers, teachers, trainers or learners to get as much benefit from using the system as learning technology experts.

Administration in intraLibrary

How many users can I have on intraLibrary?

IntraLibrary is usually licensed by the number of Contributors, with the number of Users being unlimited. You are only limited by the numbers of Contributors on your licence.

Contributors are able to place content within intraLibrary, whereas Users can access intraLibrary to view and download content.

Can I make sure that different kinds of users only see the metadata that’s relevant to them?

Yes, intraLibrary has a metadata subset feature, which means that users who are uploading and filling in only a small amount of metadata don’t have to see the whole metadata screen. For instance you may only want a teacher to fill in the title, description and keywords for a resource: you can set up a metadata subset showing only those fields at their stage in the workflow.

Can I set up intraLibrary so that different people create different kinds of metadata?

Yes, research has shown that teachers and other people who create learning objects in their work are not always interested in metadata. Poor quality or non-existent metadata can mean that resources are lost in a repository, because searching and browsing doesn’t find them. For this reason, intraLibrary has a very flexible configurable workflow system. Many intraLibrary customers now have workflows that allow people to upload resources, and other people, e.g. librarians and subject experts, to create better quality metadata, or to add rights information, or to quality assure the resources.

Can I allow different communities of practice to upload and catalogue resources only they are interested in?

Yes, you can set up any number of groups of users and allow them to upload to and view only certain collections. You can also give them their own specific classifications or taxonomies, and their own metadata application profiles.

How can I manage classifications / taxonomies in intraLibrary?

IntraLibrary allows you to create browse trees using any number of taxonomies or classification systems. You can add and edit these manually in the user friendly Web interface, and you can also import taxonomies using the ZThes vocabulary standard. You can control which users see which classification system or taxonomy using intraLibrary’s groups and collections functionality

Can I restrict what collections of resources different users have access to?

Yes, you can use intraLibrary’s highly configurable groups and collections functionality to allow different sets of users to have different kinds of access to resources. For instance, you may have a collection of images that only users in a certain department have access to, or you may have a collection of restricted materials where your users can only find and view the resources without being able to export them.

Can I restrict what collections external search systems have access to?

Yes. For instance you may only want to offer SRU/SRW external searches to completely open resource while not allowing access to resources for which intellectual property rights require more restrictions.

About Open Standards

Does intraLibrary use open standards?

Yes, Intrallect is committed to the use of open standards for interoperability. IntraLibrary supports such e-learning interoperability standards as IMS Content Packaging, SCORM, and IEEE LOM and IMS LRM metadata. We have implemented a number of other metadata standards, such as NISO z39.87 for images and ODRL for digital rights expression. We also support other open standards, such as Dublin Core metadata; ZThes and VDEX for vocabulary management and exchange; and SRU/SRW and OAI-PMH for external searching and harvesting. We are working on developing a conformance statement for W3C WAI’s upcoming 2.0 accessibility guidelines, and are taking part in a JISC funded project looking at use of the OKI OSIDs. We further show our commitment to open standards by taking active part in their development; we take part in various IMS and Dublin Core Metadata Initiative activities, and are active in CETIS and other local standards organisations.

About Open Source

Is intraLibrary open source?

No, intraLibrary is commercial software, and is not released under any open-source license.

However, this does not mean you will be locked into a proprietary system, because Intrallect has an unrivalled dedication to supporting open standards of interoperability. We think for most organisations, support for open standards should be a much more important criterion in purchase decisions than access to source code.

Why should I buy your system, when we could develop something just as good ourselves?

Many organisations have attempted to build a learning object repository or digital library system from scratch. Others have attempted to adapt existing open-source solutions to support the learning object paradigm and learning object standards. Some of these systems have been successful demonstrators, and some work well within certain constraints, such as not actually storing the content itself.

However, most organisations who have tried to develop their own systems have discovered that it is not quite as simple as it first appears. Implementing full support for the relevant interoperability standards and specifications, such as IEEE LOM, IMS Content Packaging, SCORM, OAI-PMH, SRW, LDAP etc is a considerable amount of work. Doing this in a way that works well for users is even harder.

Producing the first version of the software is only the start. It will be necessary to support and improve the system over a number of years. To succeed you will need clear goals, a stable team, and a long-term commitment to funding. Self build is rarely, if ever, a cheap option in the long term, and you should have a very good reasons for taking this approach when an off-the-shelf solution is available that meets your needs. For comparison, in a world which already has Microsoft Office, Lotus SmartSuite and Open Office, amongst others, you probably wouldn't develop your own word processor or spreadsheet software.

By licensing intraLibrary you will immediately get the benefit of over 20 person-years of professional development effort, and several years of user feedback. You will also have access to regular software updates and support, and become a member of a rapidly growing user community. IntraLibrary is being continuously developed and improved. You will have the opportunity to feed your requirements into this development process, and commission specific features to meet the particular needs of your organisation.

We would expect that most, if not all the core features you would require from a repository solution are already available in intraLibrary. If not, they may well be coming in the next version! By licensing intraLibrary, you will be choosing a highly configurable solution, with lots of options for your organisation. Intrallect has also designed intraLibrary so it is straightforward to integrate it with your existing systems, based on open standards of interoperability. Furthermore, if you do you need to extend the system, a rich programming API is available which allows your technical team to access most features of the system and use them to build other services.

What does Intrallect intraLibrary do that open source systems like DSpace, ePrints and Fedora don't?

The short answer

Using intraLibrary means:

- Having professionally developed, high quality software

• simple installation
• inline configuration
• painless upgrades
• continuous improvement
• long-term commitment

- A powerful and flexible solution

• strong on interoperability
• powerful management features
• ability to handle complex, structured materials

- Immediate access to expert help and support

• long-term support contracts
• technical consultancy
• content, metadata, and policy experts

The long answer

Some open-source repository solutions offer similar basic functionality to intraLibrary. They can be good solutions for managing simple digital resources such as e-prints, but to get them to do any more than that requires a lot of extra work installing add-on libraries and making fundamental changes to system configuration. These systems do also have individual weaknesses, such as the lack of support for taxonomies and classifications in the current version of DSpace.

Intrallect intraLibrary is very good for managing simple digital resources and metadata, but it also understands very complex packages of interactive learning materials, such as IMS or SCORM packages, and complex, hierarchical metadata for describing such materials, such as IEEE LOM, and rights expression languages, such as ODRL. IntraLibrary's behaviour is also highly configurable within the product itself. You can easily apply the classification systems, workflows, application profiles and licensing models that suit your organisation's needs.

Installing, configuring, supporting and integrating an open source repository solution often requires a lot of technical know-how and a great deal of persistence. Upgrading to a new version of such a system can be an even more painful experience. IntraLibrary is very easy to install and configure. It runs in standard versions of generic technologies, and can be installed on any server platform supported by these generic technologies. Upgrades to the intraLibrary product are released on a regular basis.

The commitment of funders and developers to open source projects can be short-lived. Without strong industry or institutional backing, projects can stagnate, and developers drift away, move on, or get drawn towards the "next big thing".

IntraLibrary is Intrallect's core product, and is being continuously developed and improved by our focussed team of professional software engineers. Intrallect also offers annually renewable support and maintenance contracts. These provide peace of mind, and give you immediate access to expert help just by picking up the phone or sending an email. If you are concerned about the longevity of Intrallect itself, we have established arrangements for software escrow.

About Intrallect

What is Intrallect?

Intrallect is the leading provider of digital repository software

Our solutions are used in corporations, universities, colleges and schools worldwide

Intrallect solutions are built on open standards and are browser-based

Intrallect provides freedom to create and mange learning objects maximising and protecting your learning resources now and into the future.

See here for more information

How long has Intrallect been in business?

Intrallect Ltd was formed in June 2000 by Dr Charles Duncan, Dr Peter Douglas and Dr Martin Morrey as a spin-out from the University of Edinburgh.

See here for more information

How do I contact you?

You can find all our contact details here.

What is Intrallect's approach to quality?

Intrallect Ltd has a long-term commitment to delivering high-quality software and services to all our customers.

Intrallect delivers quality by applying the following principles:

Focus on customers

• All Intrallect products and services are customer driven
• We aim to involve customers at all stages of a development, and encourage them to be active participants in the development process.

Employ responsive development methods

• Intrallect uses an agile development process to maximise customer involvement and increase satisfaction levels

Participation in the community

• The long-term aims of the learning community will only be achieved through standards-based interoperability.
• Intrallect is committed to collaborating with any organisation to define, refine, demonstrate and promote interoperability.

Continuous improvement and development

• Intrallect employs the best people and technological solutions available.
• Intrallect's staff are encouraged to explore any approach which could lead to improved products and services.

Open and independent approach

• Intrallect's management value honest opinions and independent minds.
• Intrallect's long-term commercial interests are best served by serving our customers' long-term interests

Copyright Intrallect Ltd 2007. All rights reserved.