The University of Derby recently had their very well attended Pilot Project Briefing Day, informing their researchers about their new UDORA repository. The day was hosted by Richard Finch, Academic Services Manager for the University Library and Melanie Keady, E-Resources Development Manager.

It was a pleasure to be invited to speak at the event and present the benefits of an open access repository for the university and individual researchers.  The presentation was  followed by an in-depth demonstration of the functionality of UDORA and the service they could expect to receive from Open Repository.

Copyright issues and publisher’s policies had been identified as a primary concern for participants prior to the briefing day. Therefore, presentations …

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The Christie NHS Foundation Trust> has a rich heritage as one of Europe’s leading centers in the field of oncology and its related sciences, publishing 350 peer-reviewed papers a year and with over 9000 papers indexed in Medline.

The launch of this repository will enable The Christie NHS Foundation Trust to capture and showcase the organizations research and provide a centrally located search-able index for this information.

Also Cancer Research UK, one of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust’s, main funding bodies is a supporter of open access publishing so the launch of the repository means many grant holders will now be able to deposit directly into the repository to meet funding requirements.

If you would like to find out …

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Another useful workshop from the RSP, this time focusing on some of the additional services available for Repository Managers:

Repository Services Day

Wednesday 23rd April, 10.00am – 4.00pm
University of Nottingham
If you are a:
•    Repository manager
•    Information professional
•    Researcher
•    Lecturer
•    or are involved in administering research grants and supporting researchers,

then this day is for you!

RSP is pleased to facilitate this event which will showcase key repository
and search services available to the UK repository and research community.

It is assumed that participants will have a good understanding of Open
Access. For those not already familiar with OA an overview is available from
the SHERPA website. Although presentations will focus on the advanced use of
the services …

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Hosted Repository Software: A seminar for repository
managers

The Repositories Support Project are pleased to announce a
focussed event taking place specifically for repository managers using hosted or
commercial software solutions.

Thursday 27th March 2008, 10.00 –
1.00

SPLASH, University of Surrey, Guildford

Do you use one of the following products?

Digital
Commons from BePress

Digitool
from Ex Libris

E-Prints
Services

Fedora/VITAL

IntraLibrary
from Intrallect

Open
Repository from BioMed Central

Do you want to meet other repository managers who are using
the same software as you? If the answer is yes then this event is for
you!

The RSP is facilitating a half day event aimed specifically
at repository managers who work with hosted or commercial software solutions.
The programme will contain a case …

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NISO, the National Information Standards Organisation have just posted the presentations from their recent one-day repository workshop; Getting the Most Out of Your Institutional Repository: Gathering Content and Building Use. Although I haven’t, as yet, had time to look through it all, it looked to have been an interesting day, discussing many of the issues faced by repository managers and librarians. 

Many of the issues raised are nothing new: not enough time, not enough understanding, too many ideas, an ever shifting platform on which to try and build policies, and lack of faculty support. If you’ve been at one of the UKCORR meetings, you’ll be aware that almost everyone is jumping in and out of the same boat. So …

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SHERPA have just released their skills set and description of the common repository roles
needed to develop and manage a successful institutional repository.

There’s a handy disclaimer just in case anyone starts to get a little depressed as they try to tick off every point on the list:

The document is not designed to describe the skills set required of a particular
repository post but rather is a list of the entire set of skills, knowledge
and abilities required for the development and management of a successful
institutional repository.

For those of you who aren’t signed up to the JISC Repositories discussion list the first newsletter from the UKOLN and JISC
CETIS collaborative Repositories Research Team is now available here.

The aim of the newsletter ‘is to provide specialised information
to all those interested in Digital Repositories Research’.  This issue links to various acronymonious* pieces on Deposit API and SWORD, Repository Ecology, Dublin Core Application Profile for Scholarly Works and forthcoming events.  The team also have a wiki.

Other work the Repositories Research Team are involved in is listed as:

Helping projects find and exploit synergies …

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Last Monday saw the inaugural meeting of the United Kingdom Council of Research Repositories at the University of Nottingham. Having wound our way through the convoluted corridors of the Queens Medical Centre, fifty or so repository managers (and me, although I consider myself to be guilty by association) knuckled down to business: to understand matters affecting repository managers and to look at what UKCoRR (pronounced you-core) should be. With everyone relishing the opportunity to be sat in a room of like-minded individuals, lists of issues and concerns flowed forth. Resources, policies, mandates, advocacy, R.A.E., technology, cultural acceptance, K.P.I.s, good practice, required skill sets, user experience… just a few areas for discussion.

UKCoRR will be more than a regular opportunity …

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