Here are the slides (including the one that mysteriously went 'missing') from my presentation on
Repository Software and Services: You Have a Choice, given at the recent, and very enjoyable and informative,
Open Scholarship 2006 meeting in Glasgow. In particular, the presentation focussed on EPrints Services. In preparation I realised it could easily be an unashamed plug for a commerical service - not unreasonably as it would have been the first such plug and was part of the invited
Briefings by repository suppliers, so given the proximity of the drinks reception that followed in the famous Hunterian Art Gallery could fairly be called the pluggers and liggers session.
In the end I tried to deal with wider issues than just selling a service (Why repository services?), at least, as far as was possible within the 10 minutes allowed. Probably the other presenters did the same, which may explain why the session was somewhat disorienting. Broadly I expected that each would be trying to sell the same, or similar, product to the same audience. Not so. Surprisingly there was no single discernible product, service or market, or that was my impression. That might have made for an interestingly diverse session, but I suspect did not provide the clarity, or the knockout punch, that this emerging market may seek.
Repository services, including
EPrints Services, are an important innovation on the repository landscape, especially for repositories running on free open source software, such as EPrints, reducing the barrier for implementations and potentially widening the market for repositories. Here are a few reasons for considering repository services:
- Implementing the repository may still require a range of skills that are not available at all institutions
- Repository services can provide expert skills, typically for building new to specification; customisation; hosting; importing legacy files; training; technical support, etc.
- Repository services are a remarkably cost-effective way of buying in those skills when needed, or to supplement existing support teams
It's like hiring a plumber. You could learn plumbing skills (and some want to
learn repository skills) and carry out all your own plumbing work. Or you could call in the experts and get it done faster and for less.