Directing traffic to the repository

At our meeting yesterday, Mahendra from UKOLN raised a very good point about directing traffic to our repository. Considering that conversations about page ranking and Google keep cropping up, particularly with reference to linking to the publisher version of paper, this is an important way of directing traffic and raising our profile. Obviously I need to get the repository linked from as many places as I can. The obvious place to start is the Open Access repository registers.
I’ve registered with most of the Open Access registeries of repositories I can think of – ROAR, OAI, the BASE search engine, and ScientificCommons. I’ve got my eye on the Intute Repository Search project, starting late January. Have I missed any, or is there a list of sites to register with, somewhere?
Probably – please drop me a line and let me know.

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Blogging

Over at the social networking site Ning there’s a Library 2.0 community. Brian Kelly from UKOLN has established a little group within this to gather thoughts and ideas for a Blogging Masterclass that we’re presenting at the Internet Librarian International conference in London, 7 October 2007. Brian has a phancy new phone with a camera, so muggins here was caught off-guard this morning and has been roped doing a short promo for the masterclass and Ning pages. It won’t embed in this page so here’s a link:

http://www.vcasmo.com/video/ukwebfocus/314

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Update on DRAMBORA

I’ve had a response from the DCC helpdesk with this useful advice regarding DRAMBORA:

“The second version is expected in early autumn 2007 and will reflect a second round of pilot audits. We are in the process of developing an on-line tool that can be used to carry out the self-audit and expect that this will be ready for release shortly after version 2 of the toolkit is released”.

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DRAMBORA

So I’m just starting down the DRAMBORA road for repository risk assessment. I’ve downloaded the toolkit from the website (including a 221 page document that nearly undid our printer) and arranged it neatly in a folder. It looks quite daunting at first glance. The website doesn’t offer any warm and fuzzy assistance – just a link to email or complete a form for feedback. I’ve emailed one of the authors of the toolkit, and also sent off a query to the feedback email asking whether there’s likely to be any further training offered for DRAMBORA users. So far no response.

Therefore I’m tackling it the old fashioned way – nobbling a UKOLN bod (thanks Michael) for a coffee tomorrow afternoon in the hope he can shed some light on the process involved using little words and big sweeping gestures.

The thing I’m concerned about is whether this toolkit is at the stage that it can be used by institutions – it says ‘draft’ on the toolkit I’ve downloaded. Page 96 mentions an interactive webpage to produce the audit report – when it becomes available. There’s no immediate sign of this on the Drambora website. To this end, I’ve just rung the DCC helpdesk, and been advised to put my query in an email and send to them. Have done this – fingers crossed.

*(Digital Repository Audit Method Based on Risk Assessment)

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RSP Summer School

The Repository Support Project Summer School was held at Dartington Hall in Totnes, Devon. The event ran from 27-29 June 2007, and offered new or potential repository managers the chance to learn more about various aspects of repository development and management. More on the summer school itself can be found on the RSP website.
I’ve written a two page report, which I’m happy to distribute although it really is quite reflective and I’ve tried to relate each topic to issues here at Bath. I’ve just provided a few excepts below:

Alma Swan from Key Perspectives gave the first presentation on ‘Before you start’ issues to consider (this is available from the Key Perspectives website). Key points included:
• Identify your stakeholders – what are the drivers and barriers for each group?
• Use Key Performance Indicators to measure progress, demonstrate return on investment and measures of success.
• Mandate! Mandating deposits of full-text at acceptance is the key to filling the repository
• Plan for growth and sustainability
• The communications gap between librarians and researchers needs to be bridged (amen?!)

Sally Romsey from Oxford Research Archives spoke on populating and marketing your repository. Important points included selling the repository as a service, not as a project (an ’embryonic service’?). Think about what will sell the repository – make a list of benefits for ready reference and beware of complex messages and jargon.

A cumulation of all session brought about a light bulb moment for me in creating a list of documents I need to develop, in order to focus the repository – a ‘to do’ list:

• Project plan and timeline – deadlines and deliverables
• Communications plan
• Strategies for raising awareness
• Information package on Copyright and OA
• Identifying key dates in the academic calendar for each stakeholder group
• Naming and branding the repository
• Strategies for adding content – ie. batch from PIP, A&I database, etc
• A list of researchers and research – amount of research produced each year out of Bath? What should our total number of deposits be if we have 100% deposition?
• Get risk assessment done with Drambora

Overall, these were three days cram-filled with information pitched really well at those starting out with repositories. I thought perhaps a few case studies (ie. copyright documents, deposit licenses, etc) from mature repositories would have been useful. Developing networks of people in very similar situations was also a very useful exercise.

There is now RSP Summer School follow-on work to be completed, with a ‘reunion’ in 2008. I’ve heard there’s possibly a summer school next winter(?) – those thinking of attending would be well advised to do so.

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