Announcing the Launch of Open Repositories Ireland: A Vision for National Collaboration
A Vision for National
Collaboration
ORI’s formation comes as part of a broader initiative funded
by Ireland’s National Open Research Forum (NORF), in line with Ireland’s
ambitious goal of achieving 100% open
access to research by 2030. This initiative supports NORF’s National Action Plan for Open Research
2022-2030, which emphasises creating a robust, interconnected
infrastructure for Irish repositories and integrating Ireland into the European
Open Science Cloud (EOSC). Through ORI, Irish repositories can align with
international standards, including OpenAIRE and Plan S, making Irish research
publications more visible worldwide.
Addressing Key
Challenges in Ireland’s Repository Landscape
Ireland’s research and academic institutions have made
significant strides in open access, but the recent work of the NORF Open Access
Repository Project highlights persistent challenges. A comprehensive survey
conducted by the project, with input from diverse educational, governmental,
and research institutions, revealed several obstacles:
- Fragmented Metadata Standards:
Metadata alignment is essential for Ireland to support ambitious open
research goals and compete internationally. However, many Irish
repositories lack consistent metadata practices, making it challenging to
monitor open access progress across the national network.
- Resource Gaps in Staffing and
Technical Support: The survey found significant disparities in
staffing levels and technical support. Many repositories have limited or
no dedicated repository managers, which restricts their capacity to meet
open access requirements consistently and maintain up-to-date metadata and
repository standards.
- Limited
Repository Awareness: Many repositories lack visibility both within
their institutions and in the broader research community, reducing the
impact of their hosted research outputs. Low awareness means that valuable
Irish research may not reach the broader academic or public audiences it
could serve, which in turn limits citation, engagement, and international
collaborations.
- Content Preservation and Long-term
Accessibility: Preservation policies are notably absent in many
repositories, with only 34% having formal preservation plans. This lack of
strategic planning increases the risk of losing valuable academic content,
especially when stored on commercial platforms that may not prioritise
long-term preservation.
ORI’s Strategic
Response: A Pathway to 100% Open Access by 2030
ORI’s launch responds directly to these challenges with a
strategic approach focused on Green OA that includes shared standards,
training, and advocacy. Some of ORI’s key initiatives are:
- Standardisation of Metadata Practices:
ORI will work with repositories across Ireland to adopt a standardised
metadata schema, OpenAIRE Guidelines for Literature, institutional, and
thematic Repositories Version 4, ensuring that Irish research output is
interoperable with global networks. Consistent metadata practices
facilitate better data discoverability, making research outputs more
visible and accessible. While Dublin Core is widely used, greater
alignment is needed with the latest OpenAIRE guidelines to support
machine-readability, persistent identifiers, and other metadata
requirements essential for long-term discoverability.
- Technical and Community Training:
ORI understands that effective repository management requires skilled
staff and continuous technical support. ORI’s training will equip
repository managers with essential skills, including metadata curation,
technical maintenance, and best practices in open repository management.
Additionally, ORI will host a Community
of Practice where repository managers can collaborate, share insights,
and stay updated on the latest trends and technological advancements in
open repositories.
- Persistent Identifiers and Digital
Preservation: The survey noted inconsistencies in the use of
persistent identifiers (PIDs) like DOIs and handles. ORI encourages
repositories to implement PIDs to enhance the traceability and
accessibility of research content. Additionally, ORI aims to promote digital
preservation strategies across Irish repositories, ensuring that valuable
academic content is safeguarded against loss and remains accessible for
future generations. This is especially crucial as repositories continue to
grow and diversify in terms of content type, including datasets, images,
and interactive resources.
- Visibility and Advocacy for Open
Repositories: Enhancing the visibility of Irish repositories and the
role they play in open research is another core goal of ORI. By advocating
for the importance of open repositories, ORI aims to secure more funding
and support from policymakers, positioning open repositories as a critical
part of Ireland’s research infrastructure. Visibility efforts will include
outreach campaigns, collaborations with research institutions, and
engagement with international open access networks.
Why Join Open
Repositories Ireland?
Membership with ORI offers Irish institutions a chance to
play an active role in shaping the country’s open access future. By joining,
institutions gain access to:
- Networking Opportunities: ORI
brings together repository managers, researchers, and technical experts to
foster collaboration and share best practices.
- Customised Training: ORI will
develop community training tailored to address specific repository needs,
ensuring that members have the skills to manage and maintain compliant,
efficient repositories.
- National and International Alignment:
Through ORI, Irish repositories will align more closely with international
standards, enhancing the visibility and impact of Irish research globally.
- Advocacy and Policy Support: ORI will
work to increase awareness of the importance of open repositories among
policymakers, researchers and hosting institutions, which can help secure
additional resources, funding and support.
The Future of Open
Access in Ireland
ORI’s launch is a significant development in the Irish open research
and repository ecosystem, strengthening Ireland’s commitment to open access and
making its research outputs more accessible to the world. ORI will work toward achieving
NORF’s goal of 100% open access by 2030 by supporting Irish repositories and
their staff, which play a crucial role in reshaping how knowledge is shared,
preserved, and accessed.
For more information on how to become a member or to learn about ORI’s upcoming initiatives, visit https://www.universityofgalway.ie/openrepositories/ori/. By encouraging staff to join ORI, institutions across Ireland can collectively contribute to a more inclusive, transparent, and accessible future for research.
ORI is officially launching on December 2nd at the University of Galway. Join us: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/open-repositories-ireland-launch-tickets-1064233263339
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