The project will provide an institutional repository for Buckinghamshire New University for e-theses and research and scholarly outputs. A particular feature is the capture of outputs from the Faculty of Creativity & Culture that will include, for example, images of artifacts in an exhibition with an extract from the exhibition catalogue

Bucks Knowledge Archive

See the final report

Repositories Start-Up Project

The Bucks Knowledge Archive project will set up an institutional repository for the staff and students of Buckinghamshire New University and it’s partner organisations. The material will include e-theses, research artefact information and other research outputs identified during the life of the project.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of this project is to establish a repository of the outputs of research and advanced scholarship to enable dissemination of this information to as wide an audience as possible.

The objectives of the project include:

  • the development of a process to populate the repository and material collection
  • the implementation of the necessary hardware and software
  • modification of institutional culture to establish the principle of open access to research output
  • to make institutional research more widely available

A particular highlight of the Bucks Knowledge Archive will be the capture of the outputs from the Faculty of Creativity & Culture artefacts. Examples include photographs and plans of an artefact at a particular exhibition together with the appropriate extract from the exhibition catalogue. The repository will also include e-theses and research papers from all faculties.

Project Methodology

The project will consist of the following stages:

  • Purchase & implementation of hardware
  • Implementation of Dspace software (selected prior to project start up)
  • Design and implementation procedures for deposit of material
  • Preliminary loading of data from PhD theses completed 2006/7
  • Investigation of storage of other visual media
  • Mount preliminary artefact information
  • Dissemination of information to Buckinghamshire New University and the wider community

Anticipated Outputs and Outcomes

The following outcomes are expected:

  • Establishment of a prototype institutional repository for Buckinghamshire New University PhD theses with pilot loading of initial data
  • Design and implementation of policies and procedures required to facilitate material deposit using good practice within the sector
  • Design of cataloguing and metadata procedures
  • Research, specification and installation of software and other requirements for holding of 3D artefact information and environments and pilot loading of artefact data
  • Dissemination of information internally and externally
  • Ensuring sustainability of the service on completion of the initial development project within existing staffing resources

Technology and Standards Used

The standards used will be:

  • simple Dublin Core and Qualified Dublin Core metadata
  • OAI-PMH for data harvesting
  • Imaging and metadata standards including TASI Imaging Standards; Library of Congress Imaging Standards; National Archives (U.S.) Digitization Standards and VRA Core (Visual Resources Association Metadata Standard)
  • XML and HTML
  • Open source software standards as implements using Dspace

Project Staff

Project Manager
Project Team
  • Jim Boone, Buckinghamshire New University, LIS, Tel: 01494 522141 ext 3569, Fax: 01494 450774 jboone01@bucks.ac.uk
  • Mike Dickinson, Buckinghamshire New University, LIS, Tel:  01494 522141 ext 2249, Fax:  01494 450774 mdicki01@bucks.ac.uk
  • Mary Kirkness, Buckinghamshire New University, LRC, Tel:  01494 522141 ext 3441, Fax: 01494 450774 mkirkn01@bucks.ac.uk
  • Stephen Gange-Moody, Buckinghamshire New University, LRC, sgange01@bucks.ac.uk
  • Elik Borrill, Buckinghamshire New University, LRC, Tel:  01494 522141 ext 3293, Fax: 01494 450774
  • Ann Evans, Buckinghamshire New University, Research Unit, Tel: 01494 605016, Fax: 01494 450774 aevans01@bucks.ac.uk

Other team members to be appointed as the project progresses.

Documents & Multimedia

Summary
Start date
1 April 2007
End date
31 March 2009
Funding programme
Repositories and Preservation Programme
Strand
Repositories Start-up and Enhancement projects
Project website
Lead institutions
Buckinghamshire New University
Topic