After an 18-month evaluation of digital repository software and systems to support NLM’s collection, Fedora has been recommended as the core system, with a pilot project to begin immediately. The recommendation follows creation, beginning in May 2007, of functional requirements and identification of key policy issues to aid in building NLM’s digital collection.

The evaluation entailed extensive analysis of existing commercial and open source digital repository systems and software, including hands-on testing against a set of functional requirements based on the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) model. A series of working guidelines to define the goals and scope of the NLM digital repository covering the NLM as an institutional resource, the contents of the digital repository, goals for future growth of the repository, and implementation and maintenance of the NLM digital repository were all examined.