---
generated: '2026-08-19'
method: derived
source: >-
  Derived from the versions the surfaces declare about themselves, plus the operator classification
  of each. Live probes 2026-08-19.
x-operator: institution

summary: >-
  The University of Manchester publishes no versioning policy, no deprecation policy and no
  changelog for any surface it operates. Its two institution-operated contracts are versioned only
  by the specification they implement, and both implement a superseded major version of that
  specification. Nothing here is a defect of neglect — it is what an institution that has never
  framed these as products looks like.

surfaces:

- surface: IIIF Presentation API
  x-operator: institution
  implements: IIIF Presentation API 2.1
  declared_by: '@context http://iiif.io/api/presentation/2/context.json'
  current_standard_version: '3.0'
  status: stable
  note: >-
    Presentation API 3.0 has been the recommended version since 2020. Manchester serves 2.1, which
    is widely supported by IIIF viewers and is a deliberate compatibility posture rather than an
    outage — but it is a version-currency gap, and no migration statement is published.
  versioning_in_url: false
  deprecation_policy: none published
  changelog: none published

- surface: IIIF Image API
  x-operator: institution
  implements: IIIF Image API 2.0, compliance level 1
  declared_by: 'profile http://iiif.io/api/image/2/level1.json'
  current_standard_version: '3.0'
  status: stable
  note: Same posture as the Presentation API; level 1 rather than level 2.
  versioning_in_url: false
  deprecation_policy: none published
  changelog: none published

- surface: Shibboleth SAML Identity Provider
  x-operator: institution
  implements: SAML 2.0 and SAML 1.1
  status: stable
  note: >-
    Lifecycle is governed by the Jisc UK Access Management Federation, which is where the entity
    descriptor lives and where any change to it becomes visible. The institution does not publish an
    independent lifecycle for it.
  deprecation_policy: federation-governed
  changelog: federation metadata is the changelog

- surface: Pure CRIS (REST + OAI-PMH)
  x-operator: tenant
  implements: Elsevier Pure 5.35.2-2
  status: vendor-governed
  note: >-
    Version, deprecation and release cadence are Elsevier's. Manchester consumes whatever release
    its tenancy is upgraded to. Excluded from any lifecycle credit to the institution.

- surface: Figshare repository
  x-operator: tenant
  status: vendor-governed
  note: Figshare's API versioning applies; the institution has no control over it.

gaps:
- No public versioning policy for any institution-operated surface.
- No deprecation or sunset policy, and no Sunset/Deprecation headers observed.
- No changelog, release notes or status page for the digital collections platform.
- Both IIIF surfaces implement a superseded major version of their specification.