CERL has developed its own database environment. Below you find some information about this database environment, general advice for searching, and criteria for including data in our environment.

General advice on searching

Advice is available here: https://www.cheatography.com/jelle/cheat-sheets/elasticsearch-query-string-syntax/.
Each database has its own, tailored, search interface and set of indexes. Information about the indexing is available in the description of each individual database, here.

Could my data be added?

To date, every proposal for collaboration with CERL to add data has been different, and several databases that were offered for inclusion were ultimately not included. In order to make the process transparent, CERL has drawn up criteria for inclusion. To start the conversation about whether your data can be included , please  fill in this form. A small committee reviews your proposal and, in consultation with you, prepares a short report with their findings, which is then put to the Board of Directors. The final decision rests with them.

The committee weighs a number of factors:

  • Crucial: data format, funding and the overall CERL time table. CERL normally works with standard library formats, and concentrates on Authority, Bibliographical and Provenance data. If the data set is in another data format, it needs to be reviewed how labour intensive it is to fit the data into AMPLE; it needs to be reviewed whether the project can it be slotted in the CERL time table; and whether funding is available for migration and maintenance.
  • Very Important: is the data a good match with other CERL datasets (e.g. is there potential for internal linking); is the data set an important (inter)national resource; does CERL need to make an additional investment in software or hardware?
  • Important: does the data come from a CERL member; does the CERL offering match the data owners’ expectations; is the data model a good fit with what is in place at CERL (could your data perhaps be added to existing CERL data sets?), and finally: what is the expected duration of the agreement?