The Culture, Care and Content (Feeding) of Institutional Repositories “Preserving our Institutional Intellectual Property” Panel discussion at IAMSLIC 2004, Hobart, Tasmania Pauline Simpson

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Culture – changing paradigm in scholarly communication Majority of current research appears as papers in published peer reviewed journals –On this are built bibliometrics used for personal advancement activities –Up to 2 years delay in publication –Spiralling journal subscriptions –Research accessible only to those who can afford it

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Culture – emerging paradigm? Open access publishing –model – author pays = OA no payment = subscription Open access repositories (open archives) –Author deposit of full text of articles, conference papers, reports, theses, learning objects, multimedia etc. - Scoped by need – –Journal articles = post refereed pre-published version deposited in IRs or subject based repositories Research - freely accessible, more visible, immediately, free at the point of use

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Culture – open archives (repositories) 1991 – first author self archiving repository (e-Print archive) Los Alamos High Energy Physics now called arXiv located at Cornell University. Very successful Prof Stevan Harnad, advocating author self archiving more subject archives introduced (Chemistry, Economics etc) – limited success 2000 onwards - complementary model - institutional repositories – many supported by project funding eg. UK, USA, Canada, Australia

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Culture – why INSTITUTIONAL Repositories? Subject or project repositories often linked to individual or a group – transitory - collection at risk eg. Ginsparg Institutions take responsibility for –Centralising a distributed activity –Framework and Infrastructure –Permanence that can sustain changes –Stewardship of Digital assets –Preservation –Provide central digital showcase for the research, teaching and scholarship of the institution 2005 – IR project funding ceasing - exit strategies – sustainability models – identify costs for business plans

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Care (Maintenance) Staff Support / Maintenance - Technical Upgrades, interface, functionality –Administrative Metadata, validation, workflows, documentation, quality assurance ( Institutional Repository implies guarantee of quality) –Information Managers Advocacy, copyright advice, metadata guidance

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Care - costs Start-up costs low –hardware –software (eprints.org, DSpace … are open source)) –installation –policies and procedures Medium-term costs higher –advocacy – getting content –support –mediated submission Ongoing costs significant –metadata creation / enhancement –technology /server, backup, digitization –preservation Annual costs MIT $285k Rochester $100k Edinburgh £100k Southampton £60k

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Content (feeding) The biggest ‘C’ “if you build it they will come” FALSE! Gaining sustained author deposited content for IRs is the most difficult aspect of implementing a repository

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Gaining Content – cultural issues – Organization culture Distributed, centralised, size. – Discipline culture Who is already depositing in SR, maintaining publication data arXiv – physists rely on Science and Medicine in general more receptive Humanities? Competition between IR, Subject Repository, Funding Agency Repository, Project Repository where author to deposit. – Researcher culture - personal traits, what is a pdf? Environmental audit – who is already putting full text on their personal or group website

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Gaining Content - Advocacy Intensive, constant, : enthusiast with network and presentation and debating skills, sensitive to organization culture Repository, robust with content, interface, branding Leaflets, posters, newsletters Institution wide presentations, seminars, committees, groups, individuals Survey – create focus groups Website Identify stakeholders, policy makers - you need high level champions, make them members of your IR Steering Group Benefits demonstrated

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Gaining Content - Advocacy Benefits – researcher and institution –Research more visible, more impact and accessible in electronic form –Raises profile of both for funding agencies –Open access creates more citations (Lawrence: Nature paper) –Globally searchable –Part of national and global initiatives – other researchers doing it! –Preservation –Scholarly communication issues –Value added services One record for many purposes Research reporting Research Funding proposals Personal website CV Export (Endnote for reformatting)

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Gaining Content – Researcher Concerns Concerns: –Quality control - particularly peer review –IPR - particularly copyright –Undermining the tried and tested status quo –Work load Responses: –institutional repositories complementary to the publishing status quo including peer review –help and advice on IPR –Publishers increasingly agreeing to postprint deposit –help with administration: ‘the library will do the work’

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Content – gained but deposit problems Text with figs and illus as separate files – zip? Hybrid – electronic and paper (illus) – scan? Only paper often do not have final version particularly if not first author - offer digitization? Conversion service? Workload – your own!

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Gaining Content - external factors that can help Sustained deposit is not yet part of researchers publication practices – one time deposit. All Publisher copyright transfer policies change to allow deposit of postprint ( Open Access publishing increases IR deposit is mandated by the Organization or a Funding Agency or a National Policy Initial content in IRs is often Legacy literature or scanned copyright-free material. Whilst current research the target, means that historical (grey) literature is becoming accessible online.

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Content – success measured by amount Desperate measures to increase deposits: –Download from personal websites –Download from subject repository –Identify authors and core journals and write to publisher for permission –Load open access journal articles –Work with high profile author and input all records as exemplar –Offer ‘Fast track deposit’ – just give the file to us

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Lessons learned Choose optimum time to introduce Open access for research visibility and profile not researcher priority Peer review, impact factors, citations are paramount Open access publishing diffuses the IR message Build on current practices and link new concept to old problem (research admin reporting) Must save researcher time Sustained author self archiving –a culture change

IAMSLIC Sep 2004, Hobart Tasmania Conclusion Range of strategies necessary – no single solution to getting content –research cultures vary across subject- disciplines Different short term and long term strategies

Pauline Simpson Southampton Oceanography Centre University of Southampton England