As separate approaches, it seems neither the old library methods nor the new Internet approach is serving researchers and scholars particularly well. A particularly promising solution is to explore the utility of combining the best of traditional library and museum techniques, such as creating descriptive metadata records in catalogues, with the best of new Internet techniques like large scale, machine harvesting of information. It is possible to consider this because of new developments in Web workable technical protocols, the uptake of XML as a way to package and transfer information, and the development of international standards for describing museum metadata content. It is based on the premise that a simple, easily implemented technical framework can allow holders of information to create repositories of metadata describing their resources that in turn can be harvested and made available for further processing or use. The OAI technical framework describes how repositories of metadata about information resources are constructed.
Repositories are essentially network accessible servers offered by data providers.
A repository may, optionally, organize its items into sets corresponding to its collections or other groups, thus allowing clients to harvest metadata records selectively. A record is an XML encoded byte-stream that serves as a packaging mechanism for harvested metadata. The OAI protocol mandates the use of unqualified Dublin Core as the common record for discovery. All OAI repositories must recognize a set of requests or verbs carried in http POST or Get methods that allow access to the metadata records. It is through these commands that metadata is harvested and transferred.