Welsh Repository Network
Repositories Start-up project
The aim of this Welsh Repository Network (WRN) start-up project bid, run by the University of Wales Aberystwyth (UWA) on behalf of WHELF (Wales Higher Education Libraries Forum), is to put in place an essential building block for the development of an integrated network of institutional digital repositories in Wales. Currently, just two of the 12 HEIs in Wales have open access digital repositories (Aberystwyth and Cardiff), both of which are pilot rather than production models, lightly populated and resident on shared equipment.
The project aims to run a centrally managed hardware procurement programme designed to provide every HEI in Wales with dedicated and configured repository hardware by the end of 2007 as a major step towards realisation of the WRN. In close collaboration with the technical, organisational and operational support specifically provided for Welsh HEIs within the JISC funded Repository Support Project (RSP), also to be delivered from UWA, this initiative will provide a cost-effective, collaborative and decisive boost to the repository agenda in Wales and help JISC achieve the critical mass of populated repositories and digital content that is a stated objective of the Repositories and Preservation Programme.
Aims and Objectives
The target is the phased establishment of a Welsh Repository Network which, by the end of March 2009, will be characterised by the following principal components:
- An operational open access digital repository in every Welsh HEI, that forms an integral part of the learning, teaching, research and administrative fabric of its host institution
- A supporting infrastructure based upon open standards and common implementations compatible with the JISC Information Environment, facilitating interoperability and a coordinated approach to resource discovery, harvesting and curation of intellectual assets in Wales
- A bilingual interface which is fully compliant with the requirements of the Welsh Language Act
- Centrally provided technical and organisational support designed to assist institutions first to construct and then to populate and embed institutional repositories into the institutional fabric
- A national resource discovery and search service which provides integrated access to aggregated data of Welsh interest and which also makes provision for long-term preservation and archiving
Project Methodology
The project will take a three-stage approach: requirements gathering, procurement and installation, and monitoring and evaluation.
Requirements gathering
- Surveys to define institution profile and related requirements
- Site visits to liaise with local staff to ensure hardware specifications suit local needs and existing infrastructure
Procurement and installation
- Procure suitable hardware as detailed by the requirements
- Take into account possible collaborations between institutions
- Support installation and integration issues
- Monitor performance and suitability of hardware over the duration of the project
Monitoring and evaluation
- Monitor and evaluate repository performance of each repository
- Ensure repositories are being run effectively
Anticipated Outputs and Outcomes
The WRN start-up project will:
- Trigger creation of 10 new open access digital institutional repositories and place an additional 2 pilot repositories on a firm footing, thereby building capacity and contributing to the achievement of critical mass that is an objective of the Start-Up strand of the Repositories and Preservation programme
- Provide a unique opportunity for Welsh HEIs to participate in repository development much earlier than would otherwise be possible and enable Welsh HEIs to obtain maximum benefit from the considerable public funds that have recently been invested in the RSP
- Act as a crucial milestone along the way towards the creation of a platform for the development of specialist user-oriented resource discovery and search services that will open up international access to Welsh research and other digital content
- Act as a catalyst for institutional commitment to open access in Wales and provide a powerful stimulus to collaborative repository development based on best practice and common standards
- Address the Welsh Assembly Government Reaching Higher agenda in providing value for money and institutional efficiencies through collaborative provision and the shared use of expertise and experience
Technology / Standards used
All repositories will be installed using standard-compliant repository software. At a minimum this is the ability to expose records expressed in simple Dublin Core via OAI-PMH. Other standards such as RSS or ATOM feeds will be provided where supported by the software. If possible, new JISC-funded standards such as the Scholarly Works Application Profile (eprints application profile) and Simple
Web-service Offering Repository Deposit (SWORD) will be included.