Abstract

Libraries, archives and museums are increasingly committed to making their resources available through online digital repositories. However, progress in this area has been stalled for years, both in the functional design arena and in the relevant technology. Now, a group of universities with a long tradition in this area has created the Hydra Project: a framework that allows each institution to create their own repository and provides all needed utilities. This article describes the experience of the Documentation Centre and Museum of the Performing Arts, one of the first European partners to opt for this new generation of repositories, when faced with this challenge. It aims to explain what was done and how, the problems encountered, the mistakes and successes, and finally, the conclusions that can be drawn from the whole process.