VTLS, Inc. has developed a proprietary software solution that integrates tightly with the core Fedora repository software. The VITAL development team responded to our survey questions about the work that VTLS is doing with Fedora.
VTLS began exploring the issues institutions face in digital library management in 2003 and evaluating ways to solve them. Their initial goal was to allow users to store images digitized from high-end scanners within a repository and to provide tools for creating, editing and preserving these digital objects for display in a Web interface. These goals have evolved into a more sophisticated institutional repository solution now on its third major version.
Fedora was chosen as the repository architecture for two reasons. First, VTLS had delivered Open Source projects for its library customers and wished to continue contributing back to the community -- a commitment highlighted by several Fedora-related software components VTLS has developed and will be sharing with Fedora users around the world. Second, Fedora gave VTLS a head start with the strength of the Fedora APIs which VTLS used in building a suite of tools around the core repository. These tools expanded the existing repository architecture and allowed users to integrate the benefits of Fedora easily into their established workflows. Second, the long-term vision of the Fedora project and the software license chosen by the Fedora development team, many of whom work only a couple of hours away from VTLS headquarters in Blacksburg, VA appealed to VTLS and many of its customers who were already familiar with Fedora. Additionally, Fedora's open and well-documented SOAP APIs helped the VITAL team jump quickly into development without being restricted to a particular development language or toolset.
The typical customers for VTLS’ digital products include university, library and information technology groups interested in preserving content in institutional repositories along with the established customer base of libraries, museums and special collections looking to create or refine new or existing digital material.
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