PRESERV: Preservation Services for OAI-Compliant Repositories

The OAI-PMH has become the de-facto standard for exposing metadata. In the PRESERV project we have explored new models for enabling thedigital preservation of and long-term access to content in Institutional Repositories (IRs). We envision digital preservation being achieved through simple preservation services working with standards-based, interoperable repository software. As support for the OAI-PMH matures so repositories are providing more robust mechanisms to access their content through OAI, e.g. community standards for using Dublin Core, support for METS or DIDL. Based on this, we have developed an exemplar File Format Profiling tool in the Registry of Open Access Repositories (ROAR), utilizing OAI and PRONOM DROID. PRONOM-ROAR is a first step to preserving digital content through simplifying content file format management for IR Managers by providing file format profiles and alerts

Preservation for Institutional Repositories: practical and invisible

With good prospects for growth in institutional repository (IR) contents, in the UK, due to the proposed RCUK policy on mandating deposit of papers on funded work, and internationally due to the Berlin 3 recommendation, it is timely to investigate preservation solutions for IRs. The paper takes a broad view of preservation issues for IRs - based on practice, experience and visions for the future - from the perspective of Preserv, a JISC-funded project. It considers preservation in the context of IRs. Based on the OAIS preservation model, an architecture is proposed to support distributed preservation services for IRs. Work performed so far involves adapting the IR user deposit interface in a pilot version of EPrints software for building IRs, and determining accurate file format information using Pronom software. The paper looks ahead briefly at the role of preservation service providers, working for the IR, within this architecture. The strategy is to take practical steps that are, as far as possible, invisible to all but those concerned with the preservation process for IRs

PRONOM-ROAR: Adding Format Profiles to a Repository Registry to Inform Preservation Services

To date many institutional repository (IR) software suppliers have pushed the IR as a digital preservation solution. We argue that the digital preservation of objects in IRs may better be achieved through the use of light-weight, add-on services. We present such a service – PRONOM-ROAR – that generates file format profiles for IRs. This demonstrates the potential of using third- party services to provide preservation expertise to IR managers by making use of existing machine interfaces to IRs

The Institutional Repository route to Open Access: implications for its evolution

Open access to peer reviewed journal articles is one of the key messages of the current global movement that is changing the paradigm of scholarly communication. Creating open access journals is one such route and creating institutional repositories containing author generated electronic text is another complementary alternative. In the UK, the FAIR (Focus on Access to Institutional Resources) programme of research is based on the vision of open access. Experiments in setting up an institutional repository for academic research output at the University of Southampton have emphasized that the institutional repository agenda is broader and that academic needs may dictate a more expanded database model than the pioneering discipline based e-Prints archive known as ‘arXiv’. The institution is represented by a broad range of publication types including, but not exclusively, peer reviewed journal articles and the different disciplines have evolved different recording practices. Full text deposits may provide the opportunity for added value elements – e.g. enhanced diagrams, additional data or presentations – if the database provides the capability. The repository may provide the building blocks for effective management of collaborative e-research. Academic institutions that impose research reporting in an institutional repository require full recording of publications including those where obtaining full text is difficult or inappropriate. A practical route is, therefore, to develop an institutional repository which is ’hybrid’ – containing both records and full text where achievable. In this scenario, the technical and management issues eg authentication and quality assurance of the metadata generation may become more complex. However, the full text element can grow as the practice becomes more natural within the recording process and as copyright restrictions ease. In the UK, several factors including the Research Assessment Exercise and citation impact measures based on increasing open access could also help encourage this change. The goal of providing open access to peer reviewed research items may, therefore, come about by a more circuitous but, in the end, more effective route. The ‘hybrid’ library will have evolved to the digital library of the ideal

Supporting the 'Sharing Institution' - Practical Steps Towards a More Open Teaching and Learning Culture

4th International Conference on Open RepositoriesThis presentation was part of the session : Conference PresentationsDate: 2009-05-19 03:00 PM – 04:30 PMInstitutional repositories for research output have developed progressively over the last few years. Although a primary motivation is Open Access both institutional and academic needs must also be met in order to foster this spirit effectively. There is now a greater emphasis on creating a more open culture for teaching and learning and institutions are again beginning to play their part more readily. On a larger scale, there are pioneering global examples of courses being preserved and complex learning materials being deposited in national and international databases. But what does fostering a more open culture in the practice of teaching mean for the institution itself and its academics? The virtual learning environment has given greater opportunities for effective administration of courses but in other ways it has had the opposite effect on sharing and re-use. There is potential for institutional solutions which are complementary to the global landscape. In this paper we report on the practical experiences and issues met, in setting up a institutional resource, EdShare, as a vehicle for sharing educational materials more easily in a multi-disciplinary institution. With constructive feedback from faculty, within the EdSpace project, EdShare has migrated into a more visual, web 2.0 style, resource with a flexible deposit process promoting 'micro-sharing'. It now offers a range of sharing options to support the teaching workflow in an encouraging atmosphere. Other features will support the growing emphasis on multidisciplinary teaching and collaboration - both internally and externally.JIS

e-Science and its implications for the library community

Explains the nature of the ‘e-Science’ revolution in 21st century scientific research and its consequences for the library community. The concepts of e-Science are illustrated by a discussion of the CombeChem, eBank and SmartTea projects. The issue of open access is then discussed with reference to arXiv, PubMed Central and EPrints. The challenges these trends present to the library community are discussed in the context of the TARDis project and the University of Southampton Research Repository. Increasingly academics will need to collaborate in multidisciplinary teams distributed across several sites in order to address the next generation of scientific problems. In addition, new highthroughput devices, high resolution surveys and sensor networks will result in an increase in scientific data collected by several orders of magnitude. To analyze, federate and mine this data will require collaboration between scientists and computer scientists; to organize, curate and preserve this data will require collaboration between scientists and librarians. A vital part of the developing research infrastructure will be digital repositories containing both publications and data. The paper provides a synthesis of e-Science concepts, the question of open access to the results of scientific research, and a changing attitude towards academic publishing and communication. The paper offers a new perspective on coming demands on the library and is of special interest to librarians with strategic tasks