The Open Language Archives Community: a 20-year update

Abstract

Purpose This paper reports on the first 20 years of the Open Language Archives Community (OLAC), comprehensive infrastructure for indexing and discovering language resources. Design/methodology/approach We begin with the original vision, assess progress relative to the original requirements, and identify ongoing challenges. Findings Based on the overview of OLAC history and recent developments and on the analysis of the situation in the language archives area as a whole, the authors propose an agenda for a more sustainable future for open language archiving. Originality/value This paper examines the progress of OLAC and discusses improvements in such areas as participation, access, and sustainability.