We hope this will be of interest to the list. With apologies for cross-posting

Grace Baynes
BioMed Central

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PRESS RELEASE

27 October 2006

MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY LAUNCHES OPEN ACCESS REPOSITORY USING OPEN REPOSITORY SERVICE FROM BIOMED CENTRAL

BioMed Central's Open Repository service has built e-space, Manchester Metropolitan University's institutional open access repository, it was announced today. The repository is freely available at www.e-space.mmu.ac.uk. BioMed Central's Open Repository service builds on the open-source DSpace technology platform, enhancing it with value-added features unique to Open Repository.

Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) is the fourth most popular university in the UK, according to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. MMU's institutional repository will allow its 39,000 staff and students working at ten research institutes on seven campuses, to deposit research findings and to share them effectively between themselves, and with their international colleagues. MMU will maintain complete administrative control over the repository whilst BioMed Central will provide hosting services, customization, backups and technical support.

Jayne Burgess, e-space Project Manager, explains why MMU chose BioMed Central's Open Repository service,

"We had been watching developments in UK Institutional repositories and decided the time was right for us to set up a repository for MMU. We saw this as a natural extension of the library role both in managing information and supporting and acknowledging the importance of research at MMU. We knew that a good deal of staff time would be required for advocacy and content acquisition and wanted a solution that would leave core staff time for these tasks and, with limited technical resource available to the library at this time, we considered Open Repository to be the most suitable option. BioMed Central provides a complete service with Open Repository, which means that whilst e-space is hosted, maintained and developed by BioMed Central, we retain administrative control over it. We have worked closely with BioMed Central to customise the website and to map the communities and collections to the structure of the University. The technical support from BioMed Central has been excellent and we would like to continue to work closely with them to make suggestions for additional and added-value service developments based on researchers' requirements."

Natasha Robshaw, Director of Marketing and Sales, BioMed Central commented,

 "We are delighted to welcome MMU as a customer for our Open Repository service. Our expert in-house team provides a complete service, making Open Repository a very convenient way for the customer to establish and run an institutional archive. The service has been designed to be both flexible and cost-effective. Open Repository also includes tools that make it very easy for researchers to deposit their articles and other documents. We believe this is an invaluable service, and look forward to many other organisations coming on board in the next few months."

Value-added features of the Open Repository in addition to the standard DSpace functionality can include saved searches, a submission form using PubMed ID and external linking to Entrez databases. BioMed Central can also offer Open Repositories in different (Roman alphabet) languages, customisable submission forms. The service is now W3 web accessibility compliant AA.

Open Repository offers a Pilot Repository set up scheme, allowing customers to have working demo sites personalised to their needs for a 3-month, no obligation, free trial.

 
ENDS


Press contacts:

Grace Baynes for BioMed Central: [log in to unmask] or +44 (0) 20 7631 9988

Jayne Burgess for MMU: [log in to unmask] or +44 (0) 161 247 6109

For more information about the Open Repository service, or to discuss setting up a Pilot Repository, please email [log in to unmask]


About Open Repository

Open Repository (www.openrepository.com) is a service provided by BioMed Central for institutions and research organisations. Open Repository offers professional help to institutions to quickly and easily build, launch, maintain, and populate their own repositories. The service has been designed to be flexible and cost-effective. BioMed Central's economy of scale makes it possible for institutions that could not otherwise afford to, or lack the infrastructure or technical capacity in-house, to set up repositories.

About Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)

Manchester Metropolitan University (www.mmu.ac.uk) is a forward-looking university. It is proud of the exceptional breadth of choice it has to offer students and of its links with business, industry, the professions and the local communities that all contribute to the learning experience. The University has a varied population, attracting students from a broad range of backgrounds and countries, which contributes to its lively and dynamic atmosphere. The University is based across seven campuses, five in the Manchester area and two at Alsager and Crewe - MMU Cheshire. The central Manchester campuses form part of the largest higher education campus in the UK and one of the most extensive education centres in Europe.


Grace Baynes
Head of Marketing & Public Relations
BioMed Central
Middlesex House
34-42 Cleveland Street
London W1T 4LB
T: +44 (0)20 7631 9988
F: +44 (0)20 7631 9926
http://www.biomedcentral.com/