Democratized Deployment of a Repository: A Novel POTENIAL Outcome for a Containerized Repository Application

The use of containers for application hosting is no longer a novel concept, however the method can lead to novel outcomes, such as increased viability for resource limited organizations to own and curate repositories. Through the process of Cornell University Library IT (CUL IT) migrating its institutional repository from DSpace 6 to 7, developers chose to containerize the newest DSpace instance, creating opportunity for the wider, global community. By creating a container image of DSpace 7, we can support the democratization of the requirements needed to deploy a repository. No longer would one need a multitude of IT staff to install a DSpace instance, when a turnkey option can run with the push of a button. By removing some of the barriers associated with hosting a digital repository, we can empower previously hindered information curators to stand up a repository with relative ease, thus promoting free and open access to scholarship and research materials worldwide. In this presentation, we will discuss the steps required to create a containerized application of DSpace 7, the challenges we faced including those related to batch processing, and the necessary requirements to package this solution for DSpace administrators.