Introduction

This chapter explains how to use OAI-PMH in a way so that repositories and service providers can seamlessly work together by creating interoperability on a protocol level.

Remark:

The examples used for DIDL; do NOT use them literally! For the precise use of the DIDL document see the current version of the DIDL document specification. That document will overrule all DIDL examples mentioned here.

Acknowledgements

This document is largely based on discussions between repository managers and SURF. They have offered their experience and suggestions to create the DRIVER Guidelines as presented in this document.

Source material

The DRIVER Guidelines are based on and refer to, the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting, Protocol version 2.0.

See: http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/openarchivesprotocol.html

The order of presentation of the DRIVER Guidelines is the same as in the protocol text. When useful, the protocol text is quoted. When the text has been changed, e.g. bold added to highlight some part of the text, this has been indicated between brackets.