This paper describes the repository services that have been developed at the University of St Andrews and our aim to maximise the benefits of a full text open access repository. We describe the integration with the University's Current Research Information System (CRIS) and the various strands of activity that make up the service. We conclude with our strategy to embed our repository services within the research community of the University.Postprin

Aucock, Janet

Proven, Jackie

English

St Andrews Research Repository

ALISS Quarterly 6(3) April 2011, pp6-9 Special issue: Library services for the 21st Century ISSN: 1747-9258©The authorsIncreasing uptake at St Andrews – strategies for developing theresearch repositoryJackie Proven1, Repository Support Officer and Janet Aucock2, Repository ManagerUniversity of St Andrews LibraryIntroductionThis paper describes the repository services that have been developed at the University of StAndrews and our aim to maximise the benefits of a full text open access repository. We describehow we have supported the strategic aims of the University and worked to embed repositoryservices into centralised research information management, while recognising the culture andpractice of researchers at St Andrews.BackgroundThe University of St Andrews research repository has gone through a number of developmentphases since its pilot in 2002. From 2006 the main driver was to increase the accessibility of theUniversity’s research outputs, and the primary focus was a service to support the deposit ofelectronic PhD theses. Janet Aucock described our repository service in SCONUL Focus1, concludingthat its success came as a result of key partnerships between relevant agencies in the University.The Library repository also established close links with the University’s ‘Research ExpertiseDatabase’. This held metadata for research publications and provided research staff profiles. DuringRAE 2008 Library and repository staff became involved with processes to manage research outputs.The development of close working relationships and a shared vision to integrate systems, data andprocesses intensified over time. The next phase was the procurement of a new Current ResearchInformation System (CRIS) that could fit with our infrastructure and extend our vision. In 2010 weimplemented Pure2 – a CRIS with the ability to describe all aspects of our research activity, exposedata in flexible ways and provide a workflow to pass full text research outputs to our repository, nowcalled Research@StAndrews:FullText3.Our PURE implementation has created a core support team of staff from the Research Policy Office,Library and Business Improvements/IT. We are keen to present a joined-up approach to our researchcommunity, with coordinated outreach activities. These include joint information sessions coveringResearch Assessment (REF) drivers, the practical benefits of PURE to individual researchers and theopportunities for open access.1 Email: jep10@st-andrews.ac.uk2 Email: ja@st-andrews.ac.ukALISS Quarterly 6(3) April 2011, pp6-9 Special issue: Library services for the 21st Century ISSN: 1747-9258©The authorsStrategies for increasing repository contentWe describe below a number of factors which have a positive influence on our repositorydevelopment.Do you need a CRIS and a repository?The CRIS tender process prompted us to re-examine our infrastructure, and for us the reasons tokeep a separate (but integrated) repository platform were clear. This choice may not suit everyinstitutional structure and may be influenced by existing systems and workflows, but it does seem tosatisfy a wide spectrum of research data management needs. It facilitates ownership of differentparts of the research story and allows particular expertise to be targeted at specific aspects of theservice. For example we can direct Library skills to maximise discovery and delivery of full text andResearch Policy Office skills to research assessment needs. At the same time both CRIS andRepository together satisfy the needs of individual researchers.The specific advantages of a CRISAt the 2009 euroCRIS conference held in St Andrews, we posed the question “Does a CRIS mean thatyou will necessarily get more full text?”4PURE is the primary driver for collecting bibliographic metadata. The fully integrated repositorybecomes a layer, avoiding the competitive nature of collecting similar data. Repository staff in thelibrary can monitor the research outputs added to Pure as researchers update their publication lists,contacting people who are engaging with the system. The rich metadata allows us to target researchoutputs that might be suitable for adding full text. The fact we can see complete profiles helps usspot active researchers and make links with events and projects.Building on this strategy to find academic ‘champions’ and provide exemplars, we also looked toexternal sources of data including outputs of the MERIT project5.Using MERIT metadataMERIT originally aimed to make the full text of all RAE2008 submissions available to the public butwas unable to complete this aspect of the project. However a considerable amount of metadata wascollected and has been made available in a searchable database. The fact that the metadata hasbeen enhanced with publisher details and the main copyright conditions from SHERPA/RoMEO6means it has proved to be a valuable resource. The database can be easily searched and downloadedfor further analysis, and you can then target content in various ways. For example the results can befiltered by version to find articles that allow Publisher’s PDF in a repository. We check RoMEO forlatest policy wording and then email authors with an advocacy message about open access and offerto deposit these outputs on their behalf. At the same time we suggest they deposit author versionsof their more recent publications, which means they just add the file to the metadata already inPURE.While it’s possible to find this data in other ways, the MERIT database is a nice tidy solution. Startingwith RAE2008 data provides confidence when viewing your repository as a showcase. Working witha batch of outputs from one publisher certainly speeds up the copyright-checking part of the depositprocess.ALISS Quarterly 6(3) April 2011, pp6-9 Special issue: Library services for the 21st Century ISSN: 1747-9258©The authorsLibrary support servicesActual staff on the ground devoting substantial time to interaction with researchers is crucial. Aswell as drawing on existing knowledge and experience of Library staff, a new Library post wascreated with the specific remit to support the PURE/repository integration and associated activities.Library staff can emphasise full text and can support open access initiatives. We can offer addedservices such as digital preservation and usage statistics. Being active in the wider repositorycommunity, we can maintain an outward view on best practice and can facilitate optimum discoveryof research publications with our knowledge of repository aggregators and discovery services. Atthe same time the support network in the Library itself, especially teamwork with Academic LiaisonLibrarians has substantial advantages for institutional communication about research support.Open Access fundingThe University has obligations to its funders who increasingly require research outputs to be madepublicly available7. The Repository Support Officer provides help in accessing funding streams suchas a dedicated Wellcome Trust award, as well as supporting the “self-archiving” route to openaccess.Scholarly communicationAs a research-intensive university we need to be ready to adjust to new methods of scholarlycommunication. Promotion of the repository can raise awareness amongst our academics of theissues around copyright and full text dissemination, and influence attitudes towards open access.We have enhanced information on our library web pages, set up a blog, created leaflets and keptacademic staff informed of the potential citation advantage of open access8.Open Journal Systems (OJS) and additional repository contentThe repository has a flexible content policy to store material that may not originate in the CRIS,therefore can accept content from other sources. We are running a pilot project using OJS tosupport journals run by University departments, some primarily coordinated by the postgraduatecommunity. This content can sit alongside research outputs in the repository to give a wider pictureof scholarly activity.E-thesesOur institutional e-theses mandate continues to provide a current stream of content. We have OpenAccess sponsor membership of EThOS and benefit from regular retrospective digitisation requestsfor pre 2007 theses. This increase in content for our own repository is driven by external researcherrequests and by internal requests for theses which are heavily used, or which illustrate researchstrengths in particular disciplines. To maximise discovery of our theses we have retrospectivelycreated metadata for our print theses and ensured that it is in our local catalogue, as well as COPACand Worldcat.ConclusionThe University is committed to making our research outputs available to a wider audience, and wehave described some strategies that support this aim by increasing our repository’s open accesscontent. The visibility of data in PURE and the REF driver encourages researchers to populate theirprofile and in turn helps our advocacy efforts. In the past year, which has seen the full introductionALISS Quarterly 6(3) April 2011, pp6-9 Special issue: Library services for the 21st Century ISSN: 1747-9258©The authorsof PURE and the appointment of a full time member of Repository staff, we have seen a significantincrease in full text deposits. Between June and December 2010 our total content grew by 52%. Aswe build relationships we can see a change in culture including a growing acceptance of open access.As well as increasing content, our repository work is proving to be a valuable way to maintaindialogue with our researchers and improve our research support services.Our way forward is to continue to improve our repository content and research support both interms of quantity and quality and to embed our services within the research community of theUniversity.1 Aucock, J. 2009. Developing the Digital Research Repository at the University of St Andrews.SCONUL Focus 46. Available at http://www.sconul.ac.uk/publications/newsletter/46/12.pdf2 About PURE: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/staff/research/pure3 Research@StAndrews:FullText: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/4 Aucock, J. 2009. Digital research repository and CRIS integration. euroCRIS conference, St Andrews,November 11-13, 2009. Available at http://hdl.handle.net/10023/7855 MERIT project website https://www.jisc-collections.ac.uk/Project-Merit/6 Sherpa/RoMEO database http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/7 Library website - Information about funder mandateshttp://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/library/information/furtherhelp/researchsupport/researchoutputs/8 For a recent review of the literature on citation advantage see: Wagner, A. B. 2010. Open Accesscitation advantage: an annotated bibliography. Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship,Winter 2010. Available at http://www.istl.org/10-winter/article2.htmlALISS Quarterly 6(3) April 2011, pp6-9 Special issue: Library services for the 21st Century ISSN: 1747-9258©The authorsFurther readingLibrary roles in repository and research support:Palmer, Carole L., Teffeau, Lauren C. and Newton, Mark P. ( 2008). Identifying factors of success inCIC Institutional Repository development. University of Illinois. Center for Informatics Research inScience and Scholarship. Retrieved from https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/handle/2142/8981Walters, T. O. (2007). Reinventing the library: How repositories are causing librarians to rethinktheir professional roles. Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 7(2), 213-225. Retrieved fromhttp://smartech.gatech.edu/handle/1853/14421The role of the repository:Crow, R. (2002). The case for institutional repositories: A SPARC position paper.http://www.arl.org/sparc/repositories/readings.htmlLynch, C.A. (2003) Institutional repositories: essential infrastructure for scholarship in the digital age.ARL Bimonthly Report, 226, pp.1-7 http://www.arl.org/resources/pubs/br/br226/br226ir.shtml

Increasing uptake at St Andrews: Strategies for developing the research repository

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