Hi Paula
Yes, your subject heading is correct but it needs an exclamation mark rather than a question mark!
Heather has offered you good advice here but as she notes it can be very time-consuming; and even though I agree with Hugh's last paragraph - and if that is what one's service truly offers - you'll still have a hard time getting files from some people. But this is all basically down to the fact that we are after a cultural change and that will take time.
I believe though, through my experience, that a big reason for a lack of uploaded files is down to the academics/depositors not understanding the actual reason as to *why* a file should be uploaded. If you consider our work is to raise citations - and explain that to academics - you can then inform them how you actually do that. Many appear to believe that the DOI will give open access to their research (in fact, I still encounter academics who aren't even sure what the DOI does or have never even heard of it) and this is very apparent from sessions I run. I always take time to explain that the full text (post-print, usually) is what is required to raise the access to, and visibility of their research, especially via Google. I am always appealing to academics for full texts for conference papers too - many of which don't even have an abstract either and without which they are little more than a bare bibliographic record.
This may not seem like much but once they undertand how it works they then see the sense in it - that the uploded file is the mechanism for raising their citations. Even then, you'll still have trouble getting files...!
Bon chance!
Simon
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Simon de Montfalcon
Institutional Repository
Hartley Library
University of Southampton
Highfield tel: 023 8059 2370
Southampton fax: 023 8059 5451
SO17 1BJ email: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Repositories discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Paula Fitzpatrick
Sent: 18 March 2010 09:09
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: A long , hard slog?
Dear all,
Apologies in advance for lengthy e-mail - looking for a few words of advice & wisdom to throw this way.
I am the repository officer here at Newcastle University. We have an in-house built research management system recently launched and a open access research repository (also written in-house, not a proprietary piece of software).
We have an automatic feed of bibliographically checked records from the research management system to our repository, thus our numbers of bib records are ticking up nicely, and I recognise the value of this in itself - lots of data for people to reach the item should them wish to. However, the numbers of full text records are low - around 10% of our total.
I know this is a problem across the repository community, but I wonder if it is something others are struggling with & considering right now.
I think perhaps the stage we are it is looking for a 'strong encouraging statement' from University management.
I'm not sure how much support for a mandate there would be (or even the appetite for it within the library) but at the same time, the numbers depositing are low - it almost seems self-fulfilling.
Having brought my concerns up within the library and the people responsible for the research management system, I am tasked with writing a paper for the University Research Committee. It sounds like I am asking you to do my work here, but I just wanted to get a feel for how you persuaded your wider University to get behind this - if you have done - (aside from the usual wider access, increased impact, REF etc). Maybe there isn't anything & its just a long hard slog - which would be reassuring in its own way!
Apologies for such a long e-mail, and I do appreciate your time.
Many thanks
Paula
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Paula Fitzpatrick
E-Repository Officer
Robinson Library
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
[log in to unmask]
0191 222 7627
http://eprint.ncl.ac.uk/
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********************************
Paula Fitzpatrick
E-Repository Officer
Robinson Library
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
[log in to unmask]
0191 222 7627
http://eprint.ncl.ac.uk/
********************************
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