Apologies for cross-posting.

This email is addressed to UK HE libraries who use ‘Eprints’
software for their institutional repositories:

Dear all,

Here at the University Library in Portsmouth, we currently have a small
institutional repository using the Eprints software (version 2), but it
is part of the Library’s strategic plan to develop this into a more
comprehensive repository, using Eprints version 3. To this end, a small
project group including myself has been asked to do some research into
how other comparable institutions run their institutional repositories.

We have had a very useful visit to Bournemouth University, which has
alerted us to relevant issues.

We have now drawn up a list of questions which we would like to address
to any other UK HE libraries using the Eprints software, who would be
willing to provide us with some information about their own practices.

These questions are listed at the end of this email. If you can spare
the time, please answer any or all of these questions, in as much or as
little detail as you wish. Please then reply to me at
[log in to unmask] by 15th January 2010, and if you are prepared to
include additionally any of your own in-house documentation (e.g.
workflows, metadata structures), we would be immensely grateful.

With many thanks in advance for your help.

Sue Ashby
Deputy Technical Services Manager
Portsmouth University Library
Cambridge Road
Portsmouth
PO1 2ST


TERMINOLOGY
What terminology do you use to refer to your institutional repository?

STAFFING
Who in the library is in overall charge of the IR?
Is this a dedicated post, or an extra duty for an existing post (e.g. a
subject librarian)?
What grade of library staff do the day-to-day work?
What is your average number of items input per week?
What is the time commitment?
Who inputs the items (academic staff/support staff/library staff)?
Do you work on the model of academic or support staff inputting basic
data and library staff upgrading and approving it?
If this model is used, does the library provide training for academic
and support staff?

COLLECTION POLICY
Is there a University mandate to deposit material in the IR, or is it
voluntary?
If voluntary, does the Library approach academic departments to supply
their material?
If so, how does it make the approach (e.g. standard letter)?
What categories of material are included/excluded (e.g. journal
articles, book chapters, conference papers, postgraduate theses, student
dissertations, research reports, technical reports, working papers,
scientific data, image collections, artworks, recorded music)?
Do you include pre-print/post-print/published versions of the
documents?
Do you include both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed documents?
Do you accept only full-text documents, or is a link sufficient?
Do you include material published before the author was at the
University or after s/he has left?
Under what circumstances would you delete documents from the IR?

COPYRIGHT AND ACCESS ISSUES
How do you deal with copyright issues (e.g. only accept pre-publication
material; author retains copyright; publisher’s copyright agreement
permits deposit in the IR; permission obtained from publisher
subsequently)?
Whose responsibility is it to ensure copyright is not infringed?
If input is the responsibility of academic or support staff, do library
staff check copyright anyway?
How do you deal with co-authored works?
How do you deal with embargoed material?
How do you deal with sensitive material to which access is to be
restricted?

SOFTWARE
What formats do you accept for the repository (e.g. PDF, MS Word,
Powerpoint, ASCII, HTML)?
Do you convert any format to a different format?

SUBJECT ACCESS
What means of subject access do you provide (e.g. LC subject headings,
in-house subject headings, uncontrolled keywords)?
Who provides the different types of subject access (e.g. academic or
support staf
f could provide uncontrolled keywords, while library staff
provide formal subject headings)?