We encourage potential content providers to ask us questions about contributing to DigitalNZ. Here are answers to some questions we often get asked.

If you are planning to use the Shared Repository, you might also be interested in the specific FAQ for the Shared Repository service.

Are there any contractual obligations in joining up with DigitalNZ, if so what are they?

We have terms of use for content contributors you should review. We ask content contributors for permission such as:

Contributors of content to this website must ensure that they have the requisite authority to grant a licence to the National Library to harvest, copy, host and store all or part of their metadata on the National Library’s computer systems and provide access to their images through this website.

We also have other terms of use for users of your content, and for application developers.

If we need to remove access to content can we do that at our discretion & in a quick turn around?

Sure thing!

While you cannot directly access the database to remove your content, we can do this for you quickly and immediately - either at an item level or your entire contribution.

Please send an email request to info@digitalnz.org. We will action your request within one business day of receiving the email, though it is most likely our response will be far sooner than that.

We can also block access to developers who breach our terms of use, denying them access to your content results through the API (our data sharing gateway).

API – what’s that?

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a way for software applications to ‘talk to’ each other; and a way for developers to ‘talk to’ applications.

DigitalNZ uses an API to share data with other applications.

Many of the applications in the DigitalNZ showcases, for example, were made by having access to the DigitalNZ search API. Check out this ‘mashup’ searching Flickr and DigitalNZ content or read about other organisations who have used the API in their local contexts.

The Indicommons website summarises it like this:

”Open APIs allow services and collections to become interconnected, the experience of outside developers to be engaged, and new tools and spaces to be fashioned to benefit the community at large.”

Take a look at this Youtube video to find out about the DigitalNZ API.

You may also find this presentation about DigitalNZ of interest.

What would be the time frame for getting the content onto DigitalNZ?

We aim to complete the process (end to end) within 2-3 weeks of you getting in touch. It depends a bit on how many content providers we are already working with, and how fast you move!

That said, are there particular timeframes you would like us to meet? We can be relatively flexible.

What about datasets? Is it content objects only?

Right now, yes. We wanted to prove this concept by enabling services that let users get straight to the goods (rather than catalogue records and so on).

You can see the tool we use to prioritise content here, in PDF (10.5 KB) or RTF (34 KB).

But that doesn’t mean we won’t consider different content types. We’re set up to change and grow.

Can we start with the straightforward hosted search option and then elect to provide content through the API at a later date?

Yes, no problem.

We would suggest that you do it the other way round though - that is, make content available through the DigitalNZ API first and opt out if there's an issue (that's the approach most content providers take).

We would simply turn off the access at your request if you weren't comfortable with the types of extra access points developers were building.

You may find this video from another content provider useful to ease some of your concerns.

What do you need from us?

That depends a bit on the technical method we are using to gather information about your content and/or what services you are contributing to.

When you’re a bit further down the track, it helps us to know:

• the rights status of your content (e.g. All rights reserved, Some rights reserved, No known copyright restrictions, and so on)
• your preferred ‘content provider’ name form (i.e. organisation name)
• your preferred ‘website’ name form (e.g. The Phoenix Project, or TheProw.org.nz)

What do I need to tell my techies?

Once you’ve talked to us, point them to the technical resources on this website. We’re happy to talk to them direct as well so you don’t get caught in the middle!

You might also be able to tell them that once you start contributing to DigitalNZ, the content you make available will be searchable through the DigitalNZ API. They’ll like that!

They might even want to augment your existing services by pointing users off to other NZ sources to search.

What kind of things have people been developing so far?

Check out the gallery to see some examples, including the customised search boxes New Zealanders have made.

Other examples include:

• Creative mashups combining different sources (such as a Flickr and DigitalNZ combined search)
• Integration of content accessible through the DigitalNZ API into educational learning management systems (e.g. moodle)
• Innovative interfaces for discovering New Zealand content, such as map-driven searches.

Many of these developments are open source – which means others (including your organisation) can build on them as well.

Who else is participating?

The current contributors page lists who has content available through the DigitalNZ search system. Organisations contributing content to the Coming Home Memory Maker are credited on the DigitalNZ Kete.

If you type *:* into the DigitalNZ search box, you can see all the content in the system. The current content providers are listed down the right hand side.

And last but not least, from memory you mentioned this was a free service - is that correct?

Yes, free! You just need to cover your time and any extra work you decide to do to participate.

We'll be pleased to have you onboard.