On 11 Jan 2006, at 14:58, Sarah Kaufman wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> Here at Manchester Metropolitan University, we are currently in the
> process of setting up
> our institutional repository. At this moment, we have yet to
> populate the repository, and
> have yet to establish the best ways in which to get content for the
> repository and at the
> same time raising awareness of the service.
The SPARC Institutional Repositories Checklist and Guide (http://
www.arl.org/sparc/IR/IR_Guide.html ) is a venerable document.
I think current best practice (this really deserves a book of its
own!) involves an intensive and protracted engagement between library
staff and researcher departments. I am most familiar with the efforts
of the librarians at our own institution as part of the JISC FAIR
"TARDis" project. See http://tardis.eprints.org/ for more details.
That project involved a 2-year discussion with key representatives
from each of the 20 schools in the University which is still
continuing today. (It seems that you can't get away from the need for
targeting, developing and maintaining close relationships with key
individuals and helping them do their own advocacy.) Also, you need
to engage with senior University management and get their support
(and positive public statements) to make everyone take the whole
venture seriously.
I have a somewhat external view of these activities, but the key
project personnel Pauline Simpson and Jessie Hey (cc'ed here in case
they are not yet signed up to this list) will be able to provide more
information.
--
Les Carr
|