Digi al Reposi o ies o e a con enien in as uc u e h ough which o s o e, manage, e-use and
cu a e digi al ma e ials.They a e used by a a ie y o communi ies, may ca y ou many di e en
unc ions, and can ake many o ms. The meaning o he e m 'digi al eposi o y' is widely
deba ed. Con empo a y unde s anding has b oadened om an ini ial ocus on so wa e sys ems
o a wide and o e all commi men o he s ewa dship o digi al ma e ials; his equi es no jus
so wa e and ha dwa e, bu also policies, p ocesses, se ices, and people, as well as con en and
me ada a. Reposi o ies mus be sus ainable, us ed, well-suppo ed and well-managed in o de
o unc ion p ope ly. Digi al Reposi o ies a e also commonly e e ed o as ‘ins i u ional
eposi o ies’ o ‘digi al a chi es’.
Digi al Reposi o ies
www.dcc.ac.uk
Sho - e m bene i s and long- e m alue
In he sho e m, a digi al eposi o y:
• Enables quick, easy, simul aneous and emo e access o deposi s
• Allows ins i u ions/o ganisa ions o e icien ly e ain and manage hei own in ellec ual asse s. Digi al
eposi o ies a e being inc easingly seen as a aluable ool o he Resea ch Assessmen Exe cise (RAE)
• Facili a es e-use o deposi ed ma e ials o new esea ch, educa ion, and lea ning
• Minimises physical s o age equi emen s whils inc easing he po en ial mass o deposi s
• Manages bo h me ada a and in ellec ual objec s in he same loca ion
• Enables ex e nal alida ion o esea ch esul s
O e he longe e m, a digi al eposi o y:
• Can enable pe sis en access o deposi s independen ly o ex e nal publishe s
• Can be used o s o e inc emen al deposi s o unique obse a ional da a o spa ially signi ican and new
collec ions o de elopmen al analysis
• Inc eases ins i u ional esea ch isibili y
• Raises po en ial
• Re u n on In es men om asse c ea ion
• Enables long- e m p oo o au ho ship o assu ance o c edibili y o unpublished pape s i eposi o y is
ce i ied/ us ed
HE/FE pe spec i e
“A he mos basic and undamen al le el, an ins i u ional eposi o y is a ecogni ion ha he in ellec ual li e and
schola ship o ou uni e si ies will inc easingly be ep esen ed, documen ed, and sha ed in digi al o m, and ha
a p ima y esponsibili y o ou uni e si ies is o exe cise s ewa dship o e hese iches: bo h o make hem
a ailable and o p ese e hem.An ins i u ional eposi o y is he means by which ou uni e si ies will add ess
his esponsibili y bo h o he membe s o hei communi ies and o he public. I is a new channel o
s uc u ing he uni e si y's con ibu ion o he b oade wo ld, and as such, in i es policy and cul u al
eassessmen o his ela ionship”
– Cli o d A. Lynch in Ins i u ional Reposi o ies: Essen ial In as uc u e o Schola ship in he Digi al Age
(Feb ua y 2003).
BRIEFING PAPER Augus 2006
www.dcc.ac.uk
Roles and esponsibili ies
Digi al Reposi o ies depend upon ac i i ies by a ange o
s akeholde s in o de o hem o be success ul; success in his
con ex means ha he eposi o y ecei es egula deposi s o
a ge ma e ial, ha he ma e ial is p ope ly cu a ed so ha i
can be eliably e-used, ha he ma e ial can be loca ed and
e ie ed, ha an in as uc u e is de eloped beyond so wa e
alone, and ha su icien unding is alloca ed o manage, main ain
and de elop he eposi o y and i s con en s o e ime.
•Clea guidelines on p oducing e-usable esou ces should
be p omo ed o da a c ea o s, whe he hey be scien is s,
esea che s, lec u e s o s uden s.This means c ea ing
well-documen ed da a esou ces ha espec
copy igh and IP es ic ions and which can be e-used
wi hou signi ican u he pe missions being sough .
• Da a cu a o s, including lib a ians, a chi is s and IT s a ,
mus design/selec and implemen an app op ia e
eposi o y a chi ec u e.The a chi ec u e should be
scalable and lexible enough o mee he changing needs o
he ins i u ion o e ime.
• The eposi o y mus be p omo ed o po en ial deposi o s
wi hin he ins i u ion and he po en ial bene i s o deposi
made angible. I is impo an o de ine ealis ic deposi
equi emen s o ensu e ha deposi o s’ wo kloads a e
no unduly inc eased.
•In e nal p omo ion o he digi al eposi o y o ins i u e
di ec o s, ice-chancello s, and acul y heads will be
necessa y o ensu e ha suppo and unding a e secu ed
o ongoing managemen and de elopmen o he
eposi o y.
• Some eposi o ies, pa icula ly hose es ablished o he
RAE, may bene i om manda ed deposi o ce ain
ypes o ma e ials; ein o cing he s a us o he eposi o y
in policy is also desi able.
• Ins i u ions may wish o conside mechanisms o
ce i ying he eposi o y. Ce i ica ion can help o
es ablish us in he eposi o y, encou age deposi , and
imp o e long- e m p ospec s.
E ec i e communica ion o he po en ial bene i s o all
s akeholde s, combined wi h clea ly de ined policies ega ding
oles and esponsibili ies, will help ensu e ha eposi o ies and
he se ices hey comp ise a e iable o bo h he sho and
long- e m.
Hee y, Rachel & Ande son, Sheila, Digi al
Reposi o ies Re iew, (2005)
h p://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documen s/di
gi al- eposi o ies- e iew-2005.pd
McLean, Neil,The Ecology o Reposi o y
Se ices:A Cosmic Re iew (2004)
h p://www.ecdl2004.o g/p esen a ions/mclean/
JISC Digi al Reposi o ies P og amme -
h p://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.c m?name=p og a
mme_digi al_ eposi o ies
Dspace: F ee Open Sou ce eposi o y
so wa e - h p://www.dspace.o g/
eP in s: F ee Open Sou ce eposi o y
so wa e - h p://www.ep in s.o g/
Fedo a: Flexible Ex ensible Digi al Objec
and Reposi o y A chi ec u e -
h p://www. edo a.in o/
P ese a ion Me ada a Main enance Ac i i y
[PREMIS] -
h p://www.oclc.o g/ esea ch/p ojec s/pmwg/
Addi ional
esou ces
eScience
pe spec i e
“The bene i s o us ed, cu a ed, g id-
suppo ed scien i ic da a eposi o ies
need o be a icula ed o he wide
scien i ic communi y. I is impo an
ha scien is s and esea che s ac i ely
wan o be pa o he digi al cu a ion
p ocess. Incen i es o do so – such as
ecogni ion o ci a ion o da ase s,
p omo ion o scien i ic ad ance om
collec ion-based science – a e
impo an . Ambi ions in cu a ion-
enabled science should be encou aged.”
– Philip Lo d & Alison MacDonald
in he JISC e-Science Cu a ion Repo
(2003).
