Michael J Wright Archive Documentation

Library Access Guide

This guide is for library staff, database administrators, and legal deposit librarians who need to connect to the Michael J Wright Digital Archive for research, cataloging, preservation, legal deposit, or system integration purposes.

Legal Deposit Context: The Michael J Wright Digital Archive may contain materials subject to legal deposit requirements under applicable copyright and preservation legislation. This guide provides standardized access methods compliant with legal deposit library protocols.

Archive Overview

The Michael J Wright Digital Archive is a professional digital preservation platform built on Fedora 6 Repository with PostgreSQL for metadata storage. The archive preserves the published creative output of Australian artist Michael J Wright, ensuring long-term preservation and accessibility for research, scholarship, and cultural heritage.

Preservation Commitment: All materials are retained in perpetuity, reflecting legal deposit principles of permanent preservation for future generations. The archive does not dispose of deposited material, though format migration may occur to ensure continued accessibility.

Collection Scope

The archive contains six primary collection types:

Metadata Standards and Interoperability

All content follows Dublin Core metadata standards with custom extensions for artwork-specific properties, ensuring interoperability with library systems and compliance with international cataloging standards. The archive supports:

Access Methods

1. Web Portal and Documentation (Recommended for Initial Discovery)

Archive Portal: https://data.michaeljwright.com.au/

For Legal Deposit Librarians: The documentation portal provides essential context for understanding collection structure, metadata schemas, preservation policies, and rights management—critical information for legal deposit assessment and cataloging integration.

2. Fedora REST API (Standards-Based Access)

Fedora REST API (Read-Only): https://fcrepo.michaeljwright.com.au/fcrepo/rest/

The archive provides machine-readable access via Linked Data Platform (LDP) compliant REST API, supporting:

Legal Deposit Context: The REST API enables harvesting and integration workflows common to legal deposit libraries, including metadata export for national bibliographies, catalog record generation (MARC21, BIBFRAME), and preservation metadata exchange (PREMIS, METS).

Example - Browse all collections:

curl -H "Accept: application/ld+json" \
  https://fcrepo.michaeljwright.com.au/fcrepo/rest/

Example - View paintings collection:

curl -H "Accept: application/ld+json" \
  https://fcrepo.michaeljwright.com.au/fcrepo/rest/paintings

2. Fedora REST API (For Library Systems Integration)

The Fedora REST API provides machine-readable access to all archive content.

Authentication and Access Rights

Public Access (No Authentication Required):

Legal Deposit Library Access: Legal deposit libraries may request enhanced access for preservation, cataloging, or research purposes. Contact the archive administrator with:

Rights and Licensing: All works are copyrighted by Michael J Wright with "All Rights Reserved" unless otherwise specified. Legal deposit libraries should consult with the archive administrator regarding permitted uses under applicable copyright and legal deposit legislation.

Base URL

https://fcrepo.michaeljwright.com.au/fcrepo/rest/

Collections Endpoints

Collection Endpoint
Paintings /paintings
Drawings /drawings
Sculptures /sculptures
Photographs /photographs
Poems /poems
Notebooks /notebooks

Supported Formats

Request metadata in your preferred format using the Accept header:

Example: Retrieve Resource Metadata

# Get a specific painting in JSON-LD format
curl -H "Accept: application/ld+json" \
  https://fcrepo.michaeljwright.com.au/fcrepo/rest/paintings/MJW-P-2024-001

Example: List All Items in a Collection

# Get all paintings with metadata
curl -H "Accept: application/ld+json" \
  https://fcrepo.michaeljwright.com.au/fcrepo/rest/paintings

3. PostgreSQL Database (Advanced Integration)

The archive uses PostgreSQL for internal metadata storage. Direct database access is not typically provided to external libraries for security and data integrity reasons.

If your institution requires SQL-level access for research or integration:

  1. Contact the Archive Administrator: rob@objectiveartefacts.com.au
  2. Describe Your Use Case: Explain why REST API access is insufficient
  3. Security Review: Database credentials are only provided after security vetting
  4. Read-Only Access: External connections are limited to read-only operations

Database Connection Details (If Approved)

Host: Contact administrator for connection details
Port: 5432 (PostgreSQL default)
Database: fcrepo
User: Read-only credentials provided separately
SSL: Required for all remote connections

Example Connection String:

postgresql://readonly_user:password@host:5432/fcrepo?sslmode=require

Database Schema

The Fedora repository uses an internal schema managed by the Fedora application. Key tables include:

Note: Querying the database directly is complex. We recommend using the Fedora REST API for most library integration needs.

Metadata Standards

All resources in the archive follow Dublin Core standards with custom extensions:

Core Dublin Core Fields

Custom Extensions (mjw namespace)

Catalog ID Convention

All works use a standardized catalog ID format:

MJW-{TYPE}-{YEAR}-{NNN}

Examples:

Type Codes:

Integration Examples

Example 1: Legal Deposit Cataloging Integration

Harvest collection metadata for legal deposit catalog:

import requests

# Fetch all resources from paintings collection
response = requests.get(
    'https://fcrepo.michaeljwright.com.au/fcrepo/rest/paintings',
    headers={'Accept': 'application/ld+json'}
)

collection_data = response.json()

# Process each work for legal deposit record creation
for work in collection_data:
    catalog_id = work.get('dc:identifier')
    title = work.get('dc:title')
    creator = work.get('dc:creator')
    date = work.get('dc:date')
    work_type = work.get('dc:type')
    
    # Create legal deposit catalog record
    # Map to your institution's catalog schema (MARC21, Dublin Core, etc.)

Example 2: MARC 21 Record Generation for Legal Deposit

Map Dublin Core metadata to MARC 21 format for integrated library systems:

Dublin Core MARC 21 Field Notes
dc:title 245$a Title statement
dc:creator 100$a Main entry - personal name
dc:date 260$c or 264$c Publication/creation date
dc:identifier 024$a (other standard identifier) Archive catalog ID
dc:description 520$a Summary note
dc:subject 650$a Subject added entry
dc:type 655$a Genre/form term
dc:format 340$a Physical medium
dc:rights 540$a Terms governing use

Fixed Fields for Visual Materials:

Example 3: Preservation Metadata (PREMIS) Extraction

For legal deposit preservation workflows requiring PREMIS metadata:

Access Levels and Permissions

Public Access (No Authentication)

Legal Deposit Library Access (Authentication Required)

For libraries operating under legal deposit mandates, enhanced access may include:

To Request Legal Deposit Access:

  1. Email: rob@objectiveartefacts.com.au
  2. Include:
    • Your institution name and legal deposit authority/mandate
    • Specific collections or materials of interest
    • Intended use (preservation, cataloging, access services)
    • Technical requirements (metadata formats, delivery methods)
    • Legal deposit legislation under which you operate

Library Staff and Researchers

Administrative Access (Restricted)

Technical Support

For Library Systems Integration

Technical Contact: rob@objectiveartefacts.com.au

Please include:

For Content or Cataloging Questions

Curator Contact: Submit inquiries via the web portal

System Architecture

For technical staff planning integration:

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we harvest metadata automatically for legal deposit purposes?

Yes. The Fedora REST API with JSON-LD format supports automated harvesting for legal deposit cataloging and preservation workflows. No authentication needed for public metadata. Legal deposit libraries may request enhanced access for bulk harvesting operations.

Do you support Z39.50, SRU/SRW, or OAI-PMH?

Partial support. The Fedora REST API is the primary interface. OAI-PMH and Z39.50/SRU can be implemented upon request for legal deposit libraries. Please contact us to discuss specific protocol requirements and use cases.

How do we cite works for legal deposit records?

Use persistent URLs with the standardized catalog ID format:

https://fcrepo.michaeljwright.com.au/fcrepo/rest/{collection}/{catalog-id}

Example: https://fcrepo.michaeljwright.com.au/fcrepo/rest/paintings/MJW-P-2024-001

Catalog IDs follow the pattern MJW-{TYPE}-{YEAR}-{NNN} ensuring permanent, citable identifiers.

Is there an API rate limit for legal deposit harvesting?

No rate limits for reasonable library and legal deposit use. For bulk harvesting operations (1000+ requests), please contact us in advance to:

How often is metadata updated?

Metadata is updated in real-time as curators add or modify content. There is no scheduled batch update cycle. Legal deposit libraries can implement periodic harvesting (weekly/monthly) to capture new additions and updates.

Can legal deposit libraries contribute metadata corrections or enhancements?

Yes. Metadata corrections and enhancements from legal deposit catalogers are welcomed. Options include:

What preservation commitments does the archive make?

The archive follows legal deposit principles of permanent retention:

Does the archive comply with accessibility standards?

The archive strives to comply with accessibility requirements:

For accessibility-specific questions or concerns, please contact the archive administrator.

How does this archive relate to UK/Ireland legal deposit requirements?

This archive operates independently under Australian jurisdiction and is not part of UK/Ireland legal deposit infrastructure. However, we follow international best practices informed by UK legal deposit framework principles:

Change Log

2025-01-06: Initial library access guide published

Additional Resources

This guide is maintained by the Michael J Wright Archive technical team and updated to reflect international legal deposit best practices.

Last updated: November 7, 2025
Version: 2.0 (Legal Deposit Compliance Edition)