MMU partnered with Open Repository in 2006 in a project led by the Library Services, which saw the repository as a natural extension of its role of managing information and assisting scholarly communication. A paper on this project was sent to their Vice Chancellor stating that “MMU will take advantage of and build upon the open access developments by creating its own repository. In doing so MMU will be joining an expanding and exciting community of institutions who are indicating their commitment to the demonstration and sharing of their societal, scholarly and economic activities in order to benefit wider research and the learning community”.

MMU chose Open Repository as a partner because all of their technical support and maintenance needs were provided, including 24/7 availability and daily back-ups of the repository content. Additionally, training and support materials were supplied plus a range of other essential services from the open access specialists.

Once live, the main focus of advocacy of e-space within MMU has been to concentrate on raising the profile of both individual authors and the institute as a whole by making their research output more visible, and in turn potentially increasing citation rates.

The repository has also provided a mechanism for recording, reporting and auditing MMU’s research output and is being used by several departments to collate and support their submissions for the forthcoming Research Excellence Framework (REF).

If you would like to find out more about how MMU launched their repository take a look at their case study.