HDS and Viglen bag Scottish library deal

Storage providers chosen to assist in National Library of Scotland digital archive plans

Reseller Viglen and vendor partner Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) are helping the National Library of Scotland (NLS) to build a digital archive.

The library’s digital repository, accessible to public viewers in and outside of Scotland, holds digital copies of more than 14 million items which includes nearly two million maps and 100,000 manuscripts.

Viglen has suggested a solution comprising hardware and de-duplication software from Hitachi, with an OnStor NAS gateway to provide a platform for the Trusted Digital Archive.

Bordan Tkachuk, chief executive of Viglen, said: "Viglen’s vast experience with public sector organisations meant we could propose a solution to meet the NLS unique requirements exactly.

"This technology is helping to make precious, historically important items of Scotland's heritage accessible to many people for the first time. It was essential for us to find a solution that offered superior levels of service and a lot of capacity to ensure this vital resource is available to the public 24 hours a day."

As the legal deposit library for Scotland, NLS is entitled to claim a copy of each one of the 6,000 publications released in the UK every week, therefore new titles are added daily.

The NLS visited a number of other sites where HDS storage solutions have already been implemented, before settling on the vendor.

David Dinham, ICT manager at the NLS, said: "We conducted a thorough evaluation of the options available to us, and found that the offering from Viglen and HDS was the best fit."

Steve Murphy, managing director of HDS UK, said: "The NLS is playing an essential role in preserving the written history and culture of Scotland and the UK.”