SCsites

SCsites is a platform and data model designed to federate site-centric content from multiple creators into a unified discovery index. A "site" in SCsites can be a repository, dataset, digital exhibit, or other digital workspace, each described by metadata, provenance, and access rules. The aim is to enable cross-site search and interoperable linking.

The project grew from collaboration among digital libraries, museums, and research institutions in the early 2020s. It promotes interoperability through a standardized metadata schema and persistent identifiers, and it exposes functionality via RESTful APIs. Users can register sites, publish metadata, and perform federated queries across the indexed network.

SCsites supports common metadata standards such as Dublin Core and schema.org, and supports crosswalks to domain-specific schemas. It emphasizes provenance, versioning, and access control, allowing institutions to retain control over local data while enabling broad discovery. The system can integrate with existing discovery layers and institutional catalogs.

As an emerging, community-driven effort, SCsites features an open specification and multiple reference implementations. Its status varies by region and institution, but the model seeks to reduce silos in digital collections and improve reuse of metadata. Ongoing work focuses on scalability, richer semantic linking, and better support for restricted data.